land speed record it is one of the most coveted targets for the rich and brilliant car manufacturers from all over the world, and the history of this particular “discipline” has a name written into it: Craig Breedlove.
Breedlove is an American professional racing driver. current world record holder for land speed in his Spirit of America Sonic Ia vehicle that drives on the road like a car but resembles fighter jets.
Developed versionoriginal Spirit of America 1963The Sonic I debuted in 1965, bringing with it an extremely aerodynamic shape, ten meters long, four forged aluminum wheels (the first generation Spirit of America had three), Goodyear tires, disc brakes, and a particularly powerful one. GE J79 turbojet engine borrowed from the F-4 Phantom II.
engine aviation origin it gave this particular car 15,000 pounds of thrust with hot afterburner, which is clearly unattainable for any car powered by traditional car engines.
Equipped in this way, the Spirit of America Sonic I managed to outperform its competitors of the period twice. The first time, at Bonneville in 1965, the car reached a top speed of 555.485 mph, or 893.966 km/h, setting a world record, which, however, was soon broken by the Green Monster Arfons.
However, Craig Breedlove did not give up and decided to try a second time. accelerate Sonic I to a speed of 600.061 miles per hour, that is, 966.573 km/h.. The impressive result allowed the American pilot to reclaim the world land speed record and become the first land vehicle to break the 600 mph barrier.
For Spirit of America Sonic I, the recordings did not end there, because it was thanks to this hybrid of a car and an airplane Lee BreedloveCraig’s wife managed to reach a top speed of 308.506 mph (494.492 km/h), becoming fastest woman in the world driving a car on land.
The glorious career of the Spirit of America Sonic I ended in 1975, when the vehicle became part of theIndianapolis Motor Speedway Museum speak publicly only at certain events.
The museum’s recent decision to sell part of its collection, including the Mercedes W 196 from Fangio and Moss, also affected the Sonic I, which will therefore be will be auctioned at Sotheby’s next February in Miami. with a price that should start at $1 million.
Source: HD Motori
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.