Craig Breedlove holds the record for the fast corner ever made in terms of sheer speed. A record absolutely NO ONE will ever break...and live to tell about it.
I think he still has the world record for the longest skid mark. Over 6 MI. I read that in the Guinness book of world records in 1975 I believe it was. Yep it was the Northland Ford edition.
@@SimonEkendahl Meh is an interjection used as an expression of indifference or boredom. It is often regarded as a verbal equivalent of a shrug of the shoulders. The use of the term "meh" shows that the speaker is apathetic, uninterested, or indifferent to the subject at hand
A few days before Thrust SSC made the record I was fortunate enough to make a trip with my son out to the Black Rock desert in 1997. We spent the day watching both cars make a couple runs. To this day it was one of my best memories and one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. It was awesome!
@@mirichclan9385 I get what you mean but it was necessary because of it's size and weight, they said in the video that it dwarfed Sonic arrow. Despite being less powerful they said it would be faster but they wrecked it so there is no proof but in an alternate reality it could be the one setting the record. It's a shame they never got the chance.
I can't believe the car leaned over like that and did the huge uturn and both the car and Breedlove survived! Usually at those speeds it's death and game over. What a legend.
Must have been within an ace of a rollover, and we all know what that would have meant for Craig. Even with all the bad luck he had on this endeavour I would still rate him one very lucky guy.
zzodr He must be a better designer and constructor than a lot of people give him credit for to build a car to survive that. If he had better sponsorship his ancillary equipment ie radios he would never have run that day. Why was it the American government never put money in they always have money for wars.
Im British and I was dissapointed he didnt get the record after all that effort. Im glad Thrust SSC got the record of course, but it would have marvellous he had upped it by a small margin. Bad luck for a true hero.
Roger, yeah, I would have loved to see Steve Fossette take a shot at breaking your dudes record. The competition was way-cool. The British racing team did an awesome job!
@G Michael Leonard I am absolutely staggered that he didn't radio back to confirm that crosswind reading. Total amateur hour. Its a sad story but really self inflicted.
I was fortunate to meet Richard Noble shortly after he had taken the LSR in Thrust II I was a senior engineering inspector at the factory that was making the engine for his failed ARV Super 2 airplane. What a gentleman! He chatted to me for over a quarter of an hour and treated me like an equal, made my year and an experience I’ll never forget!
The sportsmanship between Breedlove and Green was amazing. Not only did the Thrust team let Breedlove inspect their vehicle prior to their record run but Breedlove was also one of the first people to congratulate Green after his record run.
I got to hang out with Breedlove at his home in Rio Vista in the late 80's. I was about 12 and my dad was there to discuss some unrelated work. I didn't know anything about Craig, and he took the time to tell me a little bit about himself, show me some models and pictures, and describe his 1964 crash. He was really kind and unpretentious, and you'd never guess that he was one of the fastest men in the world. Thanks Craig, and thanks dad for dragging me along.
It's quite possible that Breedloves project could be rescued. That's what happend when Britains Bloodhound project ran out of money. Bought by a multi-millionaire , and continues with high hopes of success.
I would never refer to someone that has the kind of money it would take to resurrect a U.S. effort to reclaim the LSR crazy. IMHO it would be way-cool if someone of the stature of Jay Leno would step in here. He could easily afford to sink $10-$15M in a project such as this. Better yet, he would be one of the rare individuals to organize and get many other enthusiasts of means to contribute to such an effort. Hell, I'd even contribute some $$'s to this if Jay were behind it. Just sayin', man... 😉 👍
A really good video, thank you for not spoiling it with "music". I remember Breedlove's attempts in the early 1960's alongside Art Arfons. He said when he crashed into the lake his greatest concern was that he could not swim! Sad he lost so much on the way.
If you ever get the chance to meet him take it! Had the opportunity to go to lunch and had a shop tour with him, he is absolutely one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Go meet your hero.
As a Brit, I'm incredibly proud of the British team's achievements and professionalism but Breedlove has been a hero of mine for as long as I've been alive. In fact, if I ever host a heavenly fantasy dinner, he definitely gets an invitation. He perfectly embodies the daredevil attitude I sincerely love. I really wish he'd had more financial support and given the SSC greater competition. Incidentally, is there anything to say about the fact that the McLaren Maverick shared a similar design approach to Sonic Arrow. If the 5yo "me" were to design an LSR car, it'd look like Sonic Arrow. RIP Breedlove.
Craig is a total superstar! I've been fortunate enough to meet Richard Noble & Andy Green, would have loved to meet Craig, so sad about his recent passing. A great man
I'm an American and yes, sad that we didn't reach that record. But I have to admit that I absolutely adore the Thrust SSC and was in awe of it's groundbreaking achievement (still am). Plus she looks so much better. ✌🇺🇸🇬🇧
Thanks! I'm a Brit and after seeing this I'm really sad Craig didn't get a decent shot at the record. Just about everything that could go wrong, DID go wrong for him. Even more amazing when you consider he designed the car from his own head...totally different to how the SSC team worked.
I remember Craig Breedlove setting records , I believe, with his wife in a conventional car and in the coolest rocket car in the late '60s to early '70s. Good to see him still in the game.
There are very few who can do this sort of thing. Even fewer are the folks who can live with the ones who do. This is often the price of cutting-edge progress. We sacrifice our Humanity a little bit.
I live about 12 miles from his shop. I haven't been by there in a long while, but last time I did go by there it looked as if there was nobody.. like interest had just been set down and walked away from. Sad to see things go that way.
The old societal model was: A young woman would trade her youth and fertility exclusively to only one man, and he in turn would be the workhorse and take care of her when she gets past her prime. This was a great incentive for men to work, become men, and get married. You got a prize, a young beautiful loyal wife. In theory, as we know life isn't perfect. She does him a favor early on by being a virgin/exclusive and later he does her a favor by staying and supporting her instead of leaving her for a younger woman. They both get a prize. The new societal model is: Women whore around and waste their youth and fertility on Chad/Tyrone, get walled out, get STDs, lose their ability to pair bond, rapidly accelerate their aging process with excessive alcohol and fast food, and have no loyalty to any man. What sensible man would pay top dollar for something 30 other men got for free? The incentive for men is gone. You don't get a prize anymore. You get a parasite with an entitlement mentality that’s looking to take your resources and then some. Before you even say “I do” at the altar, she’s already plotting how to financially rape your ass in family court when she divorces your sorry ass in a few years. Why do you think she’s smiling as she’s walking down the aisle? A woman’s main reason for getting married is to get a divorce. A man's sexual drive is used to lure him into signing a one-sided life time contract with a parasitic woman with penalties for leaving. She gets to keep all the cash and prizes and can break the contract at anytime for any reason and suffer no penalties. In fact, she is rewarded. “A man is not going to invest in somebody that at best laughs at him or at worst hates him and blames him for everything.” ~ huMAN ~ You're expected to pay a premium price for a used up, beaten up, soulless woman from the bargain basement bins of some store in the hood with the morals of an alley cat, an in denial, freak of nature, pathologically delusional, self-esteem deficient, morally bankrupt, bottom dwelling, blood sucking, inhuman, creature of the night, bitch on wheels, spawned from the seed of Satan, and a boil on the buttocks of the world. When she dies, the last living reminder of hell will be gone from the face of the earth. She has kids from Chad/Tyrone or both, personal credit card debt, no assets, school debt for a worthless degree in liberal arts or gender studies, no cooking skills and no desire to learn any, no fiscal responsibility, an overly banged vagina, and a pet you’ll be expected to take care of as well. And you're supposed to be happy about this opportunity to lick up the scraps from the floor. The so-called good men she wants and can’t find are out there. They just don’t want her at the table because she has nothing to bring except financial and emotional pain. When women say, "Men are only after one thing". Meaning sex. My question to them is, do you have anything else to offer? Crickets is all I hear. Which means even they don't believe they have anything else to offer. In addition, she also has great expectations you’ll do everything for her, make her feel better, and provide an unrealistic unsustainable lifestyle she feels she deserves because she read about it some feminazi magazine article that hates men. All this while she cheats behind your back with the “bad boys” she really wants while you’re at work paying all the bills to feed this little parasite. Women don’t “love men”, they love what men can do for them. Where are all the great art works female artists have created, inspired by their love of men? Men are not afraid of commitment or marriage…. Men are afraid of getting divorce raped in “family court.” It’s just a bad deal all the way around for men and crap shoot at best. There’s nothing in it for men except the chance to be financially ruined for the rest of your life. If you were thinking of going skydiving and knew that three out of four parachutes failed, and you had already watched your friends jump, some successfully, others not so. Would you be willing to take the chance that you're going to be the exception and get the one parachute out of the four that is going to work?......... I mean they all look so pretty and smell so good and feel so soft to the touch and they are offering you the thrill of a lifetime if you would just let one of them wrap itself around you and make that commitment to attach yourself to it and jump...... would you still take that chance? But… but…. Look how pretty the parachutes are, smell their lovely fragrance, touch and feel how soft they feel, they beckon you to try one of them on, please try me on and let me wrap myself tightly around you and see how good I feel to you, I’ll hold on tight and snug to you, I am not like the others, honest I am different, I’ll work. Well….. would you do it? Would you take that chance for the thrill of a lifetime? Yea, that sounds like a good deal if I were a moron, is this the line I stand in to lose half my sh!t? Good luck with that. Men are waking up and realizing this system is defective and toxic. Women's sexual liberation, feminism and the birth control pill, have ironically dis-empowered women. They are throwaway sexual objects now more than ever. "Feminism did NOT free women from the chains they thought they had. It freed MEN from the chains they had no idea were there." ~ Arch Stanton ~
@@im1who84u Epic tale of modern life i.am glad i.am free alone but not lonely .I have lost count of crusty old gold diggers looking for a meal ticket i just walk away .Thanks for comment
So without checking... one five is taken as one point five and so... well you know the rest. What a pivotal moment in history down to air traffic control standard of communicating numbers.. how differently this story may have ended if breedlove was a pilot or if the weather guy said fifteen not one five
SCREAMIN' LORD BYRON - I think the system is clear by saying one-five for fifteen. They'd say one-point-five (or I think Americans might use one-tack-five) for one-and-a-half. The reason they don't say fifteen is because over radio it could sound like fifty whereas one-five can't be mistaken for five-zero (although in this case that would have been a moot point). I don't think the weather guy or standards can be blamed for the error - the standards are clear and well-established. I'd venture to suggest if there was a problem with the process, it was that the final authority to make the decision whether to run or not was left with the guy who was the pilot and eager to run, as well as having the pressure of millions of dollars in sponsorship weighing on his mind - if that call had been left with an impartial third party who was a qualified radio operator, that may have seen the ill-fated run aborted.
That is a result of bad radio discipline. 1.5 should be read as "One decimal five (or fife if you want full phonetics)" "One Five" is correct for conveying 15.
I was in Vegas when record was broken, taxi driver told me, normally its Yanks have massive power and Brits, smaller tuned motors. Brits took this very seriously driver ex RAF fighter pilot. Great job.
That is a very sad story. We knew that Noble was up against competition but at the time, I don’t remember it being presented in this type of way with the insight into Breedlove’s problems. (Guess it’s not good PR) One chance conversation & it’s all go again. Still in awe today. Great presentation. Thank you.
I lived near the Rio Vista facility where The Spirit of America had been built near Hwy 4 but never knew the whole story until this video. Thanks for sharing this cool piece of history.
Just popped up on my feed, great video editing and narration. Im too old now but I used to race bikes (still have a street legal road course racecar I drive) and those speeds are amazing. I've been up to 162 MPH on a bike and the weight of the air hitting you is unbelievable. Even lying prone it takes all your strength to hang on. So it's not just shape / aerodynamics, the structure and bracing have to be engineered for those loads. These people were amazing in their drive and knowledge.
I had the pleasure of meeting Craig Breedlove in the 1960s after he set the land speed record in the original Spirit of America. Humble guy, a true gentleman and DRIVEN!!
If I won the lottery I'd buy that car and let Craig Breedlove finish his dream. I've been a fan of his since I was a kid. I remember reading about him in 'The Weekly Reader' in grade school. Sweet memories.
true .. breedlove could do it .. but take stock that he's older now. i would say we would need a youngster to handle that beast. but id bet it could be done.... bring back SPIRIT OF AMERCA
And 23 years later,the record still stands. In 1974,I went 120 mph on my 1973 Yamaha RD 350. I weighed all of 100 lbs and that was quite a thrill ride as the wind was pushing me back off of the bike and I was barely able to hold my grip and had to let off the throttle or else risk being blown off of it.
I had a dark green RD400 and then many RZ350'S and banshee quads...I still have a motorcycle 🏍 landspeed bike project a Suzuki RE5 1975 model in the shop a 2stroke rotary that is water and oil cooled. Adding a Garrett turbo and wanted to go fuel injection and a lil squirter of nitrous for a goal of 200mph, when I became disabled 2003..lol plus it's a small market...lol..from Wyoming USA 🇺🇸 🤠
As a proud Brit I'm in awe of people like these that wish to push the boundries of human capabilities and am amazed no rich American business man has put his hand in his pocket to get the record back. It's the true spirit of competition between our two great nations where there is no loses only.....we'll get you next time.
I had always hoped Breedlove would have brought the speed record back to the USA record books !! I remember growing up watching Wide World of Sports and them showing his speed runs on TV .
I never knew the story . Fascinating but sad . But Craig Breelove always will be America's champion . He really believes in what he was doing and I think he was correct . Steve Fossett death was a strange twist of fate not understanding the turbulence of a mountain . I do think that J 79 engine would've gone over 800 . But now will never know . Great story
*_"I do think that J 79 engine would've gone over 800"_* There are two problems with this. First of all, Breedlove didn't do any CFD so nobody really knows what the drag rise would have been like at the speed of sound. Secondly, 48,000 hp, is unlikely to be enough to run at that speed. I don't think it would have been enough to go supersonic.
Some of what Breedlove said is true, but going up against trained engineers with computer, tunnel, etc. support is probably going to be a losing endeavour. No question, if anyone might pull it off though, it would likely be Craig....lots of practical experience and a WHOLE PILE of records under his belt. Unfortunately, when your competition is running a QUARTER AGAIN faster than you are, you are hardly worth mentioning. I was looking forward to that teams next vehicle, designed to break 1000 mph, but funding ran dry for that attempt, too. Shame, that. I'm afraid competitions like this one are pretty much out of the hands of smart garage types, and in the hands of engineers and fighter pilots now, as was demonstrated here. I would have liked to have seen Craig have a better showing though. Shame that, too. At least he was unhurt (and unkilled) in his sideways run, and THAT high speed turn should be one for the record books! ;-)
I remember in 1997 I searched for articles of 'Spirit of America', Hard to find anything. I watched it live when Trust SSC broke the sound barrier. I hope Craig Breedlove gets recognition for his and his teams efforts.
I'm a big fan of Breedlove, just felt he needed one of the big car or aero companies to back him technically to give him that extra edge. Mind you he did pretty well on instinct alone.
I agree. The museum should put it back to Breedlove's decals. Unfortunately the car changed a lot since he had it so it wouldn't be quite the same anyways.
...does Breedlove have a son...He could do a redo in the car like the late (rest in peace) Mickey Thompson's son did w/ the old wheel driven record car...
@@WeeShoeyDugless History is all you have now that your empire is gone. You used to own the world and the seven seas. Now you have Megan, Harry and his frozen todger.
@@JayBee-cr8jm Can't you just feeeeel the envy and bitterness in your posts😂😂 If it hadn't been for the Brits, you'd all be speaking Spanish, instead you speak a bastardised version of ENGLISH. Bet you hate to say that word when someone asks what language you speak😂😂
Woulda Coulda.... Shoulda .. wish he had managed to get it done but he didnt and i honestly think hes to old to manage it now which is sad. Hes a great guy and very personable i met him once briefly and in that short time i could tell he was a genuine guy and down to earth.
Craig called my company back in the 70s looking for investors, I spoke to him but didn’t have the funds at the time. After we finished I began to realize, wow, I just talked to Craig Breedlove and turned him down. Heck, I could have helped a little....oh well!.
The quest for the land speed record is one of , if not, the most iconic stories in record breaking history. Thrust SSC broke the sound barrier on land! Incredible! Chuck Yeager would have loved that. I think Breedlove would have succeeded but, time and money are fleeting. Great vid.👍
Class act by Breedlove on congratulating his opponent. Examples like that are unfortunately few and far between nowadays since respect and humility don't get clicks.
Craig Breedlove is partially the reason that the push for the 1K MPH is still so important, because if there was one Craig Breedlove then there’s a chance that there could be another and the world is scared witless of people with that amount of determination, like his nemesis Art Arfons, for example.....True legend.
Thanks for your comment! I mention Sonic Arrow is at the Wings Over The Rockies Museum later on in the video. It's an amazing vehicle, hope I get to visit one day!
I WAS enjoying it...till the end...when I realized that the world land speed record now resides with the Brits. Gotta love 'em, but why the hell can't some of our millionaires here rustle up some PATRIOTISM and donate to get the LSR back in the STATES, where it BELONGS?? When Columbus came here, he was known to have said "Forget the gold, I came here because they have the biggest flat area on Earth to run race cars! Let's go, boys!!"
I'm embarrassed to say this story choked me...I can understand the passion he must have felt...and the crushing disappointment...I had a flash of fantasy of being a part of this quest and more fantasy of being able to have giving him the funds to achieve his goals.. Breedlove was a man with a dream...to have been able to help a man of conviction to achieve his singular goal would've been a lifetime memory...to help a hero win a personal victory that affects a very specific and fascinating history.
Amazing story, I never knew much about this car at. All to think, he relied on his gut instinct about this car and it’s aerodynamics. 675 MPH and a possible calculated 900 MPH is crazy. It makes sense why the Thrust SSC took two engines to go that fast.
Bonneville Speed Week 1990 was an impromptu meeting of the giants in out pit. I was crewing for Al Teague when Art Arfons came to visit. He was scheduled to run his latest two-wheeled jet car after SW. A few minutes later Craig drove up in his pickup & trailer with two jet engines in tow. As we were all shooting the shit Richard Noble & Andy Green wandered in. That was an amazing day in LSR history. We stayed on to run safety for Art & on the 3rd pass a stabilizer caught a soft spot at about 300 & the car went vertical & crashed. We only ran 398mph that year.
@@localcrew "Only" might sound a bit strange for that speed but we hung out there for two years trying to break into the 400 range & finally went 432 at Speed Week 91 when the salt was better.
As a scout leader, I built a pine wood derby car to resemble sonic arrow back in 98ish.. I raced against all the other leaders... ironically I came in second place! :) good times! I'm still a Breedlove fan!
Just saying "One-Five Knots" was incredibly stupid. Most people would say "One-Five" to clarify "Fifteen," something like "Wind speed of fifteen knots, that's one-five knots, fifteen." Not being as clear as humanly possible at such a critical moment is just such a dumb mistake. I understand this is how pilots/ATC report wind speeds, but they're talking to non-pilots. Really should have crossed their mind at some point.
@@brianbethea3069 Whose fault was it though? Yes, it should have been "Fifteen, One Five Point Zero. Repeat, Fifteen, One Five Point Zero." Clear enough?
@@brianbethea3069 That's convention on how to report windspeeds, "one five" for 15? Engineers consistently skip saying "point" when verbally reporting a decimal, "one five" almost always interpreted as 1.5, not 15.
If this had been a drag race then SOA would have won hands down due to having a greater thrust-to-weight ratio than SSC. However going long haul the advantage would tip towards SSC as weight would be replaced by aerodynamics in importance. Hence SSC would have a huge thrust-to-drag ratio advantage nearing terminal speed (don't be fooled by SSCs large engine intakes that don't contribute to the drag equation). Effectively Breedlove brought a knife to a gunfight. It didn't help that there were several stability issues with SOA that only came to light when it was sold to Steve Fossett. This was not an issue with SSC as it was extensively tested.
Excellent Documentary... I broke down in the 1980s in the desert near Bonneville in a high mileage Volvo for 3 days. It was 110degrees in the day and cold at night. I was able to fix it! An electrical short in the trunk to the fuel pump.
Great video! **Awesome** effort by the SSC team! Just looks like Breedlove was never destined to break the record. Not enough money, too many mechanical problems......
The narrator makes the story spell binding. Years ago I drove over to Rio Vista one day to see what ever I could see of the shop. I think i5 was occupied by a plumbing concern or the like with no hint of former purpose. So glad to hear this story.
On one of the videos about "Bloodhound", I saw Breedlove come for a visit. When he saw what they had done, and what they were planning to achieve, he seemed to be resigned to the fact that his time was over, and he couldn't compete anymore. He is still a hero, and a true sportsman and gentleman.
A little misleading about the design's shortcomings. Cockpit too far forward; very bumpy ride for the driver. Without geometrical variable inlets the single engine could not overcome the power drop off caused by the transonic inlet shockwave; thus why SSC used two engines. That is SSC didn't use GV inlets either just pure power to punch through the transonic range.
This is a wonderful story for all the gear heads to read/listen and enjoy. He was a great fella that passed away doing what he wanted to do. Fascinating fella indeed.
Truly an amazing and driven (pardon the pun) man. I wish him good health and maybe someone will seek out his knowledge and guidance to make Spirit of America viable once again!
The obvious problem was another 500 Lbs of thrust would have been needed to carry the weight of his balls! After that frickin ride he wanted to do it again?? Really?? How could he even walk?
@@artworkbysteve1 he was hoping for success, robbing Peter to pay Paul until he got the record. Then I'm sure his plan was to pay his bills with sponsor 💰 money....from Wyoming USA 🇺🇸 🤠
@@billallen4793 Gambling on others labor and talents is why he lost. Those people won't forget. I was lucky, I was warned not to do projects for him . Karma prevailed again .
My great respect for the UK and American teams. Beautiful. Craig Breedlove was an American Hero (to me, at least) Check out the Beach Boys, Spirit of America.
Wow, nicely done. I didn’t know that much about the Spirit of America car, seems like they would have had the record if the original engine didn’t fail. Let’s hope somebody takes on that project again!
It was nice to see good will between the teams. Only one could be the winner, but they did not look at their competition as a zero sum game. Does not setting the record make Breedlove a loser? Small minded people would say yes but I know better. Craig Breedlove's name is known around the world not for setting records, but for giving himself totally to his dream. He put his life on the line and won everybody's respect, even his competitors’. Breedlove is a true American hero.
A great pity. It would've be fantastic to see the two teams swapping times as they pushed each other to the limits. Breedlove was a great pioneer and deserved better luck.
I remember it well, I was following the competition the best we could back then. Craig was driving back and forth so much he needed tires for the transporter. I sent him $650 to buy tires. I still have my signed poster, letters and photo he sent me. They were supposed to put my name on the inside of the rear fairing. I don't know if they ever got it done, more important things to do I'm sure. Really fun to have participated in a small way...
I've been following him since the mid-'60s when I built the Sonic 1 model kit. I love his idea he had in the '70s about using a Lunar Module rocket engine but the Gov. regulated the usage of the Hydrazine fuel.
Met him years ago at a IMSA race at Texas World Speedway. He let us sit with him in front of his motor home, and told us stories for at least half an hour. One of the most memorable times I ever had at a race.
The Land Speed Racing GOAT. Sonic Arrow was a beautiful machine and is one of my favourites. Removing the stabalising fins seems a...brave...move for a car that was slightly knife edge aerodynamically anyway. If I had $3,000,000 I'd buy it and return it to 97 Black Rock spec and livery
Sonic Arrow was easily the most beautiful LSR car of them all, IMO, though Breedlove's first car (the three-wheeler) was gorgeous, as well. What a great designer. Anyway, I can't help thinking of the heartbreak he must have felt after discovering someone (maybe him?) had dropped a bolt in its engine.
Funding was always a problem for Breedlove. Early on Hot Rod magazine had an article about the car and you could buy a picture of the car to support him. I was suckered into it only to receive a fairly obvious picture of a 2-3 foot long model of the car, pre the white Shell paint job, that was photographically superimposed against a Bonneville background. This really soured me about the effort.
Really sad that that's how it ended up.. I still can't wait for the day that a piston driven car finds itself breaking the sound barrier.. THAT would be an accomplishment. A jet or rocket powered car breaking the sound barrier? SO WHAT?! They do it in the air all the time.. but a piston driven car.. That's something to see.
It's a physical impossibility to get a piston engine capable of anywhere near the power required. ThrustSSC had an equivalent of 102,000 bhp at 763 mph.
Car? It's ridiculous. ..a car has drive, on wheels ... These are jet engine powered rockets without wings ... something completely different and very ridiculous.
