The name alluded to the infernal noise emitted from the unmuffled engine, and it was "baptised" by the Frenchmen.

[citation needed] Eldridge broke the World Land Speed Record on 12 July 1924 with the Mephistopheles,[1] by driving at 234.98 km/h (146.0 mph) in Arpajon, France.

The last car to set a land speed record on a public road.

[2] The Mephistopheles was created by combining the chassis of the 1908 Fiat SB4 with a 6-cylinder, 21.7 litre (21706 cc) Fiat A.12 aeroplane engine producing 320 PS (235 kW; 316 bhp).

[3] Mephistopheles was restored over 5 years, with another example of the same engine, and returned in 2011 with a display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.