@@Jozavenue No, I meant the 4.0 L fiat V12, the other V12's mentioned are not automotive engines. They have to get a plane airborne so of course they would be huge displacement, other than aircraft engines early and even later model V12's are anywhere from 2.5 to 6.0. I'm comparing an early automotive V12 to an later model automotive V6. Even then with a 23L difference from the 4.0L fiat auto V12 the 27L Liberty aircaft engine only went 19 MPH faster, the power to weight made the advantage culpable at best.
I helped to push Thrust SSC into the transport museum here in Coventry back in 1998.....tiny amounts of sand from the Black Rock desert were still falling into the floor !
Andy the museum were so protective about that display,I spent a morning doing sketches and drawings and a highly suspicious museum manager Barry Littlewood approached me warning not to use my drawings for anything other than my intended anyway personal use.
@@angelreading5098 Never had dealings with Barry. I'm in there every other month and take lots of photos, perhaps that's a way to compile material towards any future painting.
Shame it doesn't act like the main attraction anymore. Back when I was a kid I remember seeing it as an event. The simulator, getting out, curtains lifted to show the car. Now its just there. No hanger for it its just another car....
@@Minx5892 Yes indeed, and the new simulator is a step backwards, uncomfortable and there's lots of unintended noise coming from the electronics at the rear of the cabin.
In the early '80s, I was driving across the Bonneville Salt Flats with my family when we saw a gigantic car on a trailer with support tents around them. It was Thrust 2, and we stopped and I met Richard Noble. He was a great guy, and gave me a signed poster. I wish I still had that!
i met big daddy don garlits at a local drag strip on an off night, we happened to be testing our oval track car onthe oval, next to the strip and i saw a swamp rat out on the strip. and couldn't get over there fast enough.
@Robert Sanchez Sadly, it disappeared decades ago. However, I recently found an official NASA Space Shuttle cutaway rendering poster (1978 printing, I got in about 1980) so perhaps I'll be surprised some day. :D
Making Sense that's so cool I'm from England 🏴🇬🇧and I remember that being on TV it was a record braker back then doing I think 624 mph wow I can't believe I still remember that so well because I was 4 back in 1984.👍
@@shihtzu291 That's really cool! I remember first getting interested in LSR cars by reading the Guinness Book of World Records when I was maybe 8 years old. At the time the record holder was Gary Gabelich in the Blue Flame. :-)
+Making Sense he is a seriously nice guy! Around 1994 I went to a car show in London and saw Thrust SSC on a stand. I bought a poster and noticed Richard Noble was milling around backstage so asked (as a 13 year-old kid) if the lady could get his signature on it for me. What happened next was something I will never forget; she went and brought Mr Noble out to meet me. He signed my poster but then wandered off with it. I was just starting to think "welp, I'll never see that £7 again!" when he reappeared and introduced me to Andy Green, asked him to sign my poster and then handed it back to me!!! The ink has faded but the poster is pride of place in my dining room. 20+ years later, I went to see Bloodhound on exhibition in the Docklands and got to meet them both again... A bit more grey but still bloody nice chaps. Always meet your heroes :-)
Yea I don't get it. I thought it was "Land Based" speed record. Shouldn't matter if you're bent over on ice skates after eating spicy Thai food. If you're moving on land and you go fast it ought to count. Earnest Eldrige, Gary Gabelich, all the other guys that got robbed because of dumb shit, they knew what they did, we know too.
@@heliarche ...As long as you make the trip both ways But that's an idea actually a long straight icelake, no resistance for wheels and the colder temperature allows for even more power from the engine
Say someone goes Mach 4 on a motorcycle, yeeeeepers, but they do it. It doesn't count? "Yes, this is faster than anyone has ever gone on land but it's not a record because it doesn't hold to what we believe a car should be.".
You may have noticed Beaulieu coming up a lot in this video - having visited Beaulieu a couple of years ago I can recommend it! Seeing all the LSR holders is worth the entrance fee, but there is so much more to it. If you are a petrolhead visiting the UK I'd recommend making plans to visit the New Forest and take in Beaulieu as part of that.
Around 1970 I was working ar Hurn airport (near Beaulieu) when Art Arfons made an attempt on the 0 to 300mph acceleration record, so Green Monster was rebuilt after its crash. It was one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen. The police made some cars that had parked outside the airfield but behind the car move away. When Arfons turned on the afterburner, it became clear why!
You did a very nice job helping people find and see these historic vehicles. However, for The Blue Flame you gave the incorrect speed for the absolute land sped record. The absolute land speed record was the kilometer speed 0f 630.388 miles per hour (1,014.656 kilometers per hour). The 622.407 miles per hour was the record speed for the mile distance, set simultaneously. The initial publicity for The Blue Flame gave out the mile record in error - and that mistake has continued, unfortunately. Also, the car was the first to set the record over 1,000 kilometers per hour - as seen on the exhibit photo at Sinsheim. Thank you.
In the early '60s, Mickey Thompson went 406.06 mph one way, but had to back off the return run so couldn't match that within the required percentage for a 2 way average. So, no record, but still not too bad for a home built car based on chalk marks on the garage floor. Don't forget Dr Nathan Ostich and his Flying Caduceus and Athol Graham and his City of Salt Lake, A bit later (1967), the Summers Brothers Goldenrod pushed the wheel driven speed a little higher to 409.277 (2 way average, so official record). As a youngster growing up in the "60s, reading about all of this, along with USAC and F1 and NASCAR was enough to keep me occupied to the extent that my parents often did not have to go looking for me. I was in my room reading Hot Rod, Car Craft, etc, etc. Thank you for this reminder of the history of the LSR.
The story behind the Green Monster is more interesting than you've covered here. Apparently the engine was damaged and he bought it to rebuild, only to find it was still considered a classified military secret and they obviously wouldn't sell him parts - so he just took out opposing blades to the damaged ones for the sake of balance... and it worked when he tied it to the trees in his back yard to test it. Admirably crazed, but perhaps not exactly a good neighbor to live next to.
My grandfather, Nyles Hartman Groff "Bud" was a long time friend of Art Arfons and crew member on the Green Monster.. I've been to the shop where they built and worked on the car several times located on Pickle Road in Akron, Ohio.. Art passed away a few years ago and my grandfather passed not long after I was born. I still have one of his crew shirts with his name and the Firestone logo, as well as photographs of Art, my grandfather and crew with the green monster at Bonneville
Thanks so much for your comment - amazing to hear from someone with a link to such an incredible man and machine! I'm currently preparing a video that features the exploits of Art and Walt Arfons and Craig Breedlove in more detail, I hope you enjoy it when it's finished.
When I was 10yo my Dad took me to a local car dealership in Pomona ca to see the Original "GOLDEN ROD" at the time the fastest piston driven car...I was hooked. Been paying attention to LSR ever since.
Sadly, since 1997, no new land speed records were set. Achieving mach 1 on land on its own is no small feat, but it still saddens me no one tried to beat it :(
@@Baigle1 I think they ran out of sponsorship from rolls royce, but a entrepreneur recently bought the project and it has made a few public test runs. the record attempt is scheduled for 2020
Hi, thanks for your comment! Cars that have held class records (e.g. Goldenrod - wheel-driven record) and records set outside the FIA's mandated rules (e.g. Mickey Thompson's Challenger - one-way run) are not included here, but may be covered in future videos.
There is one of the world's fastest diesel trucks in my hometown. It was known as Phoenix. Ran by robert slagle (who sadly died in 98) then ran by carl heap who retired it shortly after
How on Earth did you forget rocket Man stand Barrett. The blue flame wasn't the only rocket car in 1970. 1979 Stan Barrett's hybrid rocket car was the first to go supersonic and over 730mph. It's crazy how you failed to even mention him. That was one of the most critically important land speed records of all time.
Hi - thanks for your interest in my channel. This video features the cars that have held the FIA World Land Speed Record (the average of two runs, in opposite directions through a measured mile / km, set within one hour). The Budweiser Rocket was never built to do this (it couldn't be refuelled and turned around quickly enough for the mandated two runs in one hour) but Stan Barrett did attempt to break the sound barrier in the Budweiser Rocket on a TV special in December 1979. Whether he went supersonic or not is still the subject of some controversy, as the claim that the car went supersonic was impossible to prove due to errors and shortcomings in the timekeeping and speed measurement. The full story is told in this video on my channel: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-f7CoyJAMqwc.html The first (and so far only) supersonic World Land Speed Record to be ratified by the FIA (2-way average in one hour) was set by ThrustSSC in 1997.
@@ScarfAndGoggles Yeah that's a bit weird I don't know if I agree with the fia. The way I see it, what does the two way anything have to do with it. If you can hit those speeds it shouldn't matter how many times you can do it. I'm not sure if those were the rules on the older cars when they raced on Daytona beach. But I don't know, even though it wasn't a two way it was still a rocket car that race quite a number of times. I think there's more controversy with the haters trying to doubt the record, I think it's more jealousy than anything. The two way record mumble jumble doesn't diminish the facts, he was still the first man to reach the sound barrier on at land speed vehicle. I mean their tec was old at the time but they had several systems recording the data, including the Air Force telemetry data. Everything in their systems data was actually pretty accurate, official speed 739.666mph. But either way the 1970 rocket car wasn't the only rocket car to race.
@@patman0250 The rules are the rules!!! The two way course is to remove the effects of slope or wind assistance. The FIA (and FIM) rules are identical and date from the 1920's and were used by the US Auto Club who did the timing of all record attempts done in the USA from the 1920's onwards. The timing equipment had to be calibrated. Even Craig Breedlove's first records in the three wheeled Sprit of America were two way runs, which didn't qualify as an FIA Record as the rules at the time said the car had to have a minimum of four wheels and the car had to be wheel driven.
@@patman0250 The rules are the rules!!! The two way course is to remove the effects of slope or wind assistance. The FIA (and FIM) rules are identical and date from the 1920's and were used by the US Auto Club who did the timing of all record attempts done in the USA from the 1920's onwards. The timing equipment had to be calibrated. Even Craig Breedlove's first records in the three wheeled Sprit of America were two way runs, which didn't qualify as an FIA Record as the rules at the time said the car had to have a minimum of four wheels and the car had to be wheel driven.
@@richardvernon317 Rules my ass. He went the fastest no matter what no one can beat it and that's all there is to it. I don't want to hear about some made up BS that Guinness world records put themselves. It's all about reaching that speed no matter what on land.
Why no mention of Ab Jenkins and the Mormon Meteor? Or all the other records he broke at Salt flats? I think he broke more records than any one else. The guy was awesome!
What a thorough and fabulously complete reveiw of so many wonderful and deadly land speed cars: I , as a Noth America, have to laugh at the announcers pronounciation of Beaulieu: correctly, it is ANYTHING but BUALLY......
Thanks for your comment! You’re not the first to pick up on the British pronunciation of Beaulieu, but from the museum’s website FAQs: Beaulieu is pronounced "Bew-lee"
Thought you would find it interesting that the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum just announced that they will be selling Spirit of America Sonic 1 at auction
For those interested in more information on Bluebird and the Sunbeam take a look at Old Machine Press. Their website has a wonderful series of articles on some of the magnificent machines of the past
I’ve been to the Beaulieu museum ! Very cool place with lots of historic cars and even some cool old top gear ones. They even had the Toyota that they blew up while in the building over they have the landspeed record cars and much more
At times I wonder if it was chasing dreams or fighting nightmares that created some of these cars. Whichever, the people who helped create these beasts are no less special than those who piloted them. Personally, I think that the ThrustSSC is simultaneously the most visually beautiful and terrifying of all the cars shown here.
Weird not a single car anywhere near Bonneville where most records were broken. The State of Utah should have built a car museum in Salt Lake City highlighting the history of racing on the Salt Flats
Question. Do the land records have to be done over 1 mile both ways. Or what ever distance they choose, one just has to do the same distance the other way
When Donald Campbell broke the 400mph barrier in the last wheel driven car his rival Cobb sent him a bouquet. when Cobb took the record back in a jet engine car Campbell sent him a wreath.
@@owensmith7530 He also holds the record for the world's longest skid marks at 5-6 miles long. It happened with the first Spirit of America (the 3 wheel version) and happened after he lost his braking chutes after completing his second run. He was still going 200 mph or so when he went off into a brine pond, fortunately without any major injury.
If you come to England the place to go is THE NATIONAL MOTOR MUSEUM, at BEAULIEU ( pronounced BYEW LEE, look on google maps. It's in the county of Hampshire, the surrounding area is called the NEW FOREST and the countryside is beautiful, well worth a visit.( The pictures you see at the beginning and end of this video with the Golden Arrow, the red Sunbeam 1000hp and Bluebird are inside that museum), loads of other road cars and racing cars from over the years too.
In 1984 I delivered the Thrust 2 on the back of a Layland Roadtrain to a hanger at RAF Binbrook to have it's engine re-tuned. I also took the opportunity to have a sit in the car, and later met it's driver, a former RAF officer Richard Noble.
@i. rob Nice. Thanks for the reply old friend. I too retired from Binbrook, April 1985. I did 12 years in all, loved most of it, except AOC inspections etc :).
I've seen it in person at Coventry, its not far from where I live, the whole back end of the car is blasted right down to bare metal in some areas, I love that they kept it that way instead of repainting it, it wears its war wounds with pride
Bruh, Audi is Auto Union lol. Also if were were not allowed to talk about any cars made during the Nazi regime we wouldn't be allowed to talk about the Volkwagen Beetle or Porches.
@@caseysmith544 Yep, but the beast of Turin was built in 1910 and beat the record in 1913. Even more impressive that it still did rounds around Goodwood.
Yeah most of them are at beaulieu. I went there when I was younger and it’s mad to see them all in the same place. It doesn’t really make a good video tho
Very interesting stuff! I remember back in the 1960s when Art Arfons and Craig Breedlove were in competition for the LSR. I guess the current speed record is the last, as no one seems to be making any attempt to try and beat it.
Thanks for your comment! Both the UK and Australia have active projects at the moment (google Bloodhound LSR and Aussie Invader 5R). The US project North American Eagle unfortunately met with tragedy last year when Jesse Combs was killed in a crash which destroyed the car (she has since been awarded the fastest woman title posthumously).
The Spirit of America wasn't the first of the jet powered cars. The Flying Caduceus of Dr. Ostich was on the salt in a 1960 or 1961. It topped out short of the record. I think it reached about 350 mph. It is in the National Museum in Reno, NV.
@ WTF are you talking about Leno most definitely works on his cars, he probably has really good mechanics helping him but still he gets hes hands dirty
Yup. 406.6 mph. I built the model in 1963. Couldn't take my eyes off it. In fact it was in the vain hope of seeing it that I watched this, now disappointing, video.
He didn’t break the land speed record - it was only a one way run. The rules at the time (and to this day and for decades prior) required a run in both directions. That’s why it’s not in this video, it was a brave but unsuccessful attempt.
I had the honour of making a scale model of Thrust SSC as a working rocket model for Richard Noble's son to give to him. Richard kindly sent me a signed copy of his book as thanks. I met Richard in Southend too and saw the car. So awesome to be near such a vehicle and people so skilled. Nice memories.
we must be getting close to the limit of whats possible since the records take longer to break each time, only one car made it over mach speed and is still holding the record 22 years later. lets hope bloodhound makes it!
We are close to the limit with what can be done given the funds available. If the military had a need to break land speed records then records would be broken.
It's as much a matter of money as anything else. I'm sure that the record could be raised considerably if the sort of funding that the Mercedes or Ferrari F1 teams have available could be deployed (which could be as much as $10m a year).
If you have millions to use just for this than easy but I’m sure that most people could work their life seven times over and not come close to the amount needed to make a new record breaker
I managed a shave over 90mph on Pendine Sands in a rented Focus, it was mid winter and it would’ve been rude not to have a play whilst the beach was empty and I had a car that I didn’t have to worry about salt water ingress in 😀
Thanks for putting that together, ever since the 60's when I was a child I was interested in the land speed record vehicles and a fan of Craig Breedlove, Art Arfons and Gary Gabelich in the blue flame. I followed the pollution packer in the 70's and was anticipating the land speed version of their hydrogen peroxide rocket car that put on exhibitions at drag racing events (which I had seen run), the land speed car was speculated to have a chance of breaking the 1000 mph mark until the driver Dave Anderson was killed in the dragster when his chutes failed during a run. I saw that car exceed 300 mph on an 1/8 mi. drag strip.
Am I missing something here or does this video jump around a bit? I feel like arranging the cars based on record speeds and not dates would be better. Saying a car set an outright record right after you said the previous car set a higher one makes no sense.
The bloodhound is being built at my school and the amount of work and engineering and science that goes into it is incredible. Makes u appreciate how amazing this sort of thing is.
