A car which broke the land speed record 100 years ago has been restored by Ledbury engineers.

The mighty Darracq 200 still roars with its original eight cylinder engine, the first one in the world. It will have its first public showing since 1911 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend.

By the late summer it may be restored enough to travel more than 100mph again and relive its glory days of a century ago

The machine is owned by Gerald Firkins, of Hanley Swan, who bought it from Sir Algernon Guinness in 1956. It is being restored by Stuart Moore and Ken Hirschfield, of Ledbury's Helping Hand Company.

They were persuaded into the task by colleague Fiona Bradford, the granddaughter of Mr Firkin. She grew up knowing very little about the racing car her grandfather was always tinkering with.

She said: "It is quite a vehicle, but I never realised it is such a famous car. I've never even been for a spin in it and in fact, it's the most restored I've ever seen it.

"It needs to be driven by an experienced driver. I don't think anyone off the street could drive it."

The man likely to take the wheel when the Darracq moves again later this year is Vintage Sports Car Club expert, Edward Cottam.

He will be in charge of a 1,000kg steel-frame car that, just as in its heyday, will have no flooring or side panels, to save weight. Its 22.5 litre engine is capable of reaching speeds of over 120mph.

Mr Moore said: "We haven't decided whether to take it over the ton. After all, the engine is unique and totally irreplaceable."

It is believed to be the same engine that inspired Chevrolet to use V8s and so launch America's love affair with big, powerful cars.

Mr Moore said: "During its racing career, it won everything it entered without incident."

The car won the world speed record on the Arles Salon Road in France in 1905 and broke the land speed record in the same year, then again in 1906 and once more in 1907, when it reached 126mph. On that occasion, many experts believed it would have reached 140mph, if the driver had held his nerve.

The vehicle was also the first car to travel above two miles a minute and also the first to complete a 100mph lap at Brooklands.