Cummins Diesel Replicates Historic 1933 Napier-Railton Race Car

The Cummins replica is powered by a 500 hp, 6.7-liter Cummins diesel engine.

The original Napier-Railton race car was built in 1933 and made its debut in August of that year at the Brooklands race track in Surrey, England. It was built around the same time as the 1931 Cummins Diesel Special No. 8 Indianapolis 500 car, and was also driven at Brooklands during a European tour organized by company founder Clessie Cummins. Piloted by John Cobb, the Napier-Railton car broke the Brooklands outer circuit lap record of 143.4 mph in 1935, and went on to set the 24-hour record of 150.6 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1936.

While diehard race fans will have to visit the Brooklands Museum in the UK to view the original Railton car, Cummins will take a dimensionally-accurate diesel powered replica of the car to the INTERMAT show in Paris on April 20-25, 2015.

Throughout the duration of the five day show, the unique “Cummins Napier Railton” will be proudly displayed alongside the company’s lineup of the latest engine technology. The Cummins Napier Railton replica is powered by a Cummins 6.7-liter diesel, the same base engine widely used in many commercial Cummins-powered vehicles today.

While the latest ISB6.7 engine meeting Tier 4 Final/Stage IV emissions regulations offers an impressive top rating of 300 hp (224 kW), Cummins engineers have achieved close to 500 hp (373 kW) output for the 6.7-liter diesel installed in the Railton replica.

Cummins has a strong history in racing, using it to test product durability as far back as the early 1930s. The 1931 Cummins Diesel Special No. 8 Indianapolis 500 car still runs, and is displayed in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. The Cummins Diesel No.8 became the first diesel vehicle to reach 100 mph, running on the hard sand at Daytona Beach, Florida. Power came from a race modified Cummins Model U 4-cylinder, 6-liter diesel with 85 hp (63 kW).