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Dorothy Levitt
1882–1922
A daring Edwardian motorist and writer, she turned speed, mechanical know-how, and independence into a public career at a time when that was almost unheard of for women. Her work captures both the thrill of early motoring and a bold belief that women should take the wheel for themselves.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born Elizabeth Levi on January 5, 1882, Dorothy Levitt became one of the best-known women of the early motoring age in Britain. She built a reputation as a racing driver, journalist, and public figure, and is widely remembered as the first British woman racing driver.
Levitt competed on both land and water, setting important records in the early 1900s, including a water speed record and a women’s world land speed record. At a moment when cars were still new and often seen as unsuitable for women, she made herself a symbol of confidence, technical skill, and personal freedom.
She also wrote about motoring for a wider audience. Her book The Woman and the Car offered practical advice and encouragement for women drivers, helping to make the motorcar feel less forbidding and more liberating. She died in 1922, but her name still stands out in the story of women, speed, and modern independence.