Stanley S. Sayres (1896-1956), the owner and driver of the hydroplanes, moved to King County in 1932. He was in the automobile business and headed the American Automobile Company, a Chrysler car dealership at 1001 Broadway in Seattle, and an auto parts store in the University District. Sayres also owned the Jen-Cel-Lite Corporation, a manufacturer of cold weather clothes.

He became interested in speedboat racing in 1926 in Oregon, and his interest continued after he moved to King County, Washington. In 1949, Sayres built a 17-room home on the east side of Hunts Point near the point's north end (4450 Hunts Point Road), along with a boathouse for his hydroplanes. Hunts Point is on the east side of Lake Washington.

Sayres had owned and raced smaller boats, but he wanted to try for a world record. With this in mind, he commissioned Ted Jones to design the and Jensen Motor Boat Company, at the north end of Seattle's Lake Union, to construct it. Jensen Motor Boat Company launched the 28-foot-long, 4,750-pound hydroplane in October 1949.

Sayres established a world speed record (160.3235 mph) for hydroplanes while driving the on June 26, 1950. The was King County's own: the owner, designer, builder, mechanics, and crew were all Seattle and King County residents. The only parts of the hydroplane not constructed in Seattle were a surplus World War II airplane engine and the boat's propeller.

(Information retrieved from Pacific Coast Architectural Database and History Link)