From a time when petrol wasn't $1.70 a litre.

3200hp packed into one little boat, ain't she pretty...
The 1920’s and 1930’s were an exciting time in the world of speed records on water. This week we came across a lovely picture of an iconic boat from the era, Miss America IX, at the time the worlds fastest boat with a top speed of over 200kmph.

Built by Garfield (Gar) Wood, Miss America IX used four (yep, four) V12 aircraft engines to produce over 3200hp. Not wanting to waste power, Gar Wood used straight exhausts too, so you can imagine the noise coming from this thing at full power! In a fierce rivalry between the English and the Americans, Wood was on a mission to beat the English record set in Lake Garda, Italy only six months before. After completing his world record run, Gar Wood stepped from the boat saying "I believe the speed of 112.434 miles an hour was the greatest thrill of my life," later eluding to the fact that he wouldn’t do it again, unless of course the English beat his record.

Still racing today, she now only houses 1100hp (more than enough right!?) and will reach a speed of 80mph on a glassy day. While it’s not quite the 100+mph she used to do, with 1000 less horsepower it’s probably a little more economical and a little quieter.

Check out the documentary on Garfield Woods gorgeous creation, the Miss America IX, which is still racing today at over 80 years old.

Oh, and if you’re wondering, petrol was around 6c per litre in 1931.