David Abbot Jenkins was one coolly accomplished racer back in the day. Having made his name racing motorcycles on the salt flats of Utah in the 20s, Jenkins wanted a new challenge: the marathon driving of a Pierce-Arrow V-12 model.
Though a Jenkins was a respected driver and racer, Pierce-Arrow refused to sponsor his dream, so the former motorcycle racer drove a Silver Arrow V-12 from Buffalo, NY to the salt flats of Utah, where he created a circular course. He then drove the Silver Arrow that already had 33,000 miles on it for 24 straight hours around the course stopping only to fill up the car’s tank. By the end of the run on September 19, 1932, he and his V-12 had covered 2,710 miles with an average speed of 112 miles per hour.
In 1933, Jenkins repeated the feat.
