In September 2010, George Poteet made a serious attempt to break the flying mile and flying kilometer record for piston-engined wheel-driven cars. Speed Demon is powered by a 299cuin (4,900cc) aluminum block 'Hellfire' V8, built by Kenny Duttweiler.[1] Their effort was thwarted by a number of parts failures. The team stated their intention to return in 2011 to set a record over 450mph (724km/h), and at the 2011 Bonneville Speed Week, Poteet achieved 426mph (686km/h)[2]
After making "the fastest piston engine pass ever",[3] turning in a two-way average of 437.183mph (703.578km/h).[4] (Because this was not done within the two-hour limit demanded by FIA, the record is not considered official.)[5]
In 2012, Speed Demon set an official record at 439mph (707km/h).[6]
An open-wheel car is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have their wheels below the body or inside fenders. Open-wheel cars are built both for road racing and oval track racing. Open-wheel cars licensed for use on public roads, such as the Ariel Atom, are uncommon, as they are often impractical for everyday use.
The land speed record (LSR) or absolute land speed record is the highest speed achieved by a person using a vehicle on land. By a 1964 agreement between the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), respective governing bodies for racing in automobiles and motorcycles, both bodies recognise as the absolute LSR whatever is the highest speed record achieved across any of their various categories. While the three-wheeled Spirit of America set an FIM-validated LSR in 1963, all subsequent LSRs are by vehicles in FIA Category C in either class JE or class RT.
The Ford GT is a mid-engine two-seater sports car manufactured and marketed by American automobile manufacturer Ford for the 2005 model year in conjunction with the company's 2003 centenary. The second generation Ford GT became available for the 2017 model year.
A Formula One car or F1 car is a single-seat, open-cockpit, open-wheel formula racing car with substantial front and rear wings, and an engine positioned behind the driver, intended to be used in competition at Formula One racing events. The regulations governing the cars are unique to the championship and specify that cars must be constructed by the racing teams themselves, though the design and manufacture can be outsourced. Formula One drivers experience peak cornering forces of up to six lateral g.
The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is a mid-engine sports car, designed and developed in Germany by the Volkswagen Group and Bugatti and manufactured in Molsheim, France, by French automobile manufacturer Bugatti. It was named after the racing driver Pierre Veyron.
Pendine Sands is a 7-mile (11 km) beach on the shores of Carmarthen Bay on the south coast of Wales. It stretches west to east from Gilman Point to Laugharne Sands. The village of Pendine is close to the western end of the beach.
The Jaguar XJ220 is a two-seat sports car produced by British luxury car manufacturer Jaguar from 1992 until 1994, in collaboration with the specialist automotive and race engineering company Tom Walkinshaw Racing. The XJ220 recorded a top speed of 217 mph (349 km/h) during testing by Jaguar at the Nardo test track in Italy. This made it the fastest production car from 1992 to 1993. According to Jaguar, an XJ220 prototype managed a Nürburgring lap time of 7:46.36 in 1991 which was faster than any production car lap time before it.
The Peel P50 is a three-wheeled microcar originally made from 1962 to 1965 by the Peel Engineering Company on the Isle of Man, and then from 2010 to present. It was listed in the 2010 Guinness World Records as the smallest production car ever made. The original model has no reverse gear, but a handle at the rear allows the very lightweight car to be maneuvered physically when required.
The Lotus Carlton is a version of the Vauxhall Carlton/Opel Omega A saloon upgraded by Lotus in order to be a high performance sports sedan. Like all Lotus vehicles, it was given a type designation—Type 104 in this case.
The Ruf CTR2 is a 2-door sports car built by German automobile manufacturer Ruf Automobile from 1995 to 1997 as the successor to the CTR Yellowbird, but based on Porsche's Type 993 generation 911.
The Ariel Atom is a road-legal high performance open-wheel car made by the British Ariel Motor Company based in Crewkerne, Somerset, England, and under license in North America by TMI Autotech, Inc. at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia.
The Porsche 911 GT2 is a high-performance, track-focused sports car built by the German automobile manufacturer Porsche from 1993 to 2009, and then since 2010 as the GT2 RS. It is based on the 911 Turbo, and uses a similar twin-turbocharged engine, but features numerous upgrades, including engine enhancements, larger brakes, and stiffer suspension calibration. The GT2 is significantly lighter than the Turbo due to its use of rear-wheel-drive instead of all-wheel-drive system and the reduction or removal of interior components. As a result, the GT2 is the most expensive and fastest model among the 911 lineup.
Bloodhound LSR, formerly Bloodhound SSC, is a British land vehicle designed to travel at supersonic speeds with the intention of setting a new world land speed record. The arrow-shaped car, under development since 2008, is powered by a jet engine and will be fitted with an additional rocket engine. The initial goal is to exceed the current speed record of 763 mph (1,228 km/h), with the vehicle believed to be able to achieve up to 1,000 miles per hour (1,609 km/h).
Electric drag racing is a form of drag motor racing between electric vehicles.
The BMW M2 is a high-performance version of the BMW 2 Series automobile developed by BMW's motorsport division, BMW M GmbH. As the 2 Series replaced the 1 Series coupé and convertible models, the first-generation M2 was marketed as the most basic M model in the range.
The FIA World Rallycross Championship is a rallycross series organised by the FIA in conjunction with series promoter Rallycross Promoter GmbH. From the inaugural season in 2014 to 2020, IMG Motorsport fulfilled the role of promoter.
The Equus Bass 770 is an American luxury muscle car manufactured by Equus Automotive, named after its founder Bassam Abdallah.
Land speed racing is a form of motorsport.
The Spirit of Rett is a streamlined car designed to challenge the wheel-driven land speed record. On September 21, 2010 it made two speed runs piloted by Charlie Nearburg at the Bonneville Salt Flats. The first run averaged 417.0 mph (671.1 km/h) with an exit speed of 422.6 mph (680.1 km/h). The return run, made under more difficult track conditions, averaged 411.7 mph (662.6 km/h) with a top speed of 417.65 mph (672.14 km/h). The average speed of approximately 414.4 mph (666.9 km/h) exceeded the 45 year old Summers brothers’ Goldenrod record. The “Spirit of Rett” now has the fastest single engine car record in history.
George Poteet was an American Memphis-based land speed racer and winner of the 1996 Ridler Award.
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