Who drove La Jamais Contente to its 1899 land speed record?

Camille Jenatzy drove La Jamais Contente to its 1899 land-speed record.

Jenatzy was a Belgian engineer and racing driver who became deeply involved in electric traction. His father manufactured rubber products, and Camille’s engineering interests led him toward electric carriages, trucks, and high-speed experimental vehicles. He was nicknamed “Le Diable Rouge,” or “The Red Devil,” because of his striking red beard.

On 29 April 1899 at Achères near Paris, Jenatzy drove La Jamais Contente to approximately 105.88 km/h over one kilometre. The run made him the first person to drive a vehicle beyond 100 km/h and gave the electric car the first automobile speed record above that threshold.

The record was part of a dramatic rivalry with Count Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat, who drove a Jeantaud electric car. The two men repeatedly surpassed each other during early 1899, turning electric-car speed trials into valuable publicity for competing vehicle makers. Jenatzy’s run finally put La Jamais Contente decisively ahead.

A common mix-up is naming Chasseloup-Laubat because he held the previous record. Jenatzy was the driver of the milestone-breaking vehicle. He later won the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup and died in a 1913 hunting accident.