France · Record run · April 29, 1899

Jenatzy La Jamais Contente

A silver electric torpedo shot across a road outside Paris and became the first automobile to break 100 km/h.

Electric land-speed pioneers

Exact original vehicle, driver and record date; period black-and-white halftone rather than a modern exterior photograph.

Period side view · Photo shows Exact original vehicle, driver and record date; period black-and-white halftone rather than a modern exterior photograph..
Camille Jenatzy in La Jamais Contente on the April 29, 1899 record day · La Vie au Grand Air · Public Domain Mark 1.0 (PD-old-70-expired; U.S. pre-1931 publication)

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A place in vehicle history

More than a set of wheels.

Camille Jenatzy was locked in a speed-record duel with Count Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat and his Jeantaud electric cars. Jenatzy answered with an entirely new machine: equal-size wheels, a light aluminium body and a pointed shell intended to cut the air. On April 29, 1899, at Achères, La Jamais Contente reached 105.879 km/h over the timed kilometre and made the 100 km/h barrier automobile history.

Look a little closer.

The original car survives at the Château de Compiègne; the Fulmen company and Camille Jenatzy's widow gave it to the museum in 1933.

Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.

A rivalry built the 100 km/h car

The Château de Compiègne records that La France automobile organized the competition and that Jenatzy created the new car after three duels won by Chasseloup-Laubat in Jeantaud electrics. The record was therefore more than a one-off stunt: it was the engineering answer to a public contest between rival electric-car builders.

Source: Château de Compiègne · La Jamais Contente collection record ↗

Streamlined, but not completely

The museum credits coachbuilders Léon Auscher and Edmond Rheims with the light aluminium body and highlights the equal-size wheels and aerodynamic thinking. MAUTO's museum story adds the useful caution that the exposed driver was not included in the smooth torpedo shape, so this was a pioneering experiment rather than a modern wind-tunnel design.

Source: MAUTO · The car and the beginnings ↗

Where these facts come from

Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed October 1, 2026.

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