As supercar enthusiasts, we keep looking up to the Nurburgring and Nardo tracks for lap and top speed records. But it's the Bonneville Salt Flats that should get a lot more attention because that's where all the top speed shenanigans happen.
High-speed addicts have been racing hot rods at the Bonneville Speedway since the 1910s, at a time when V8 engines were barely a thing. The first land speed record was documented as early as 1935 when Sir Malcolm Campbell hit a whopping 301 mph (484 kph) in the iconic Blue Bird.
It's the place that saw Craig Breedlove become the first American to break the 400 mph (644 kph) barrier in 1963 and exceed 600 mph (966 kph) in 1965. In almost 100 years, the Bonneville Speedway witnessed several speed records being set in a wide variety of classes.
Come 2021 and high-speed enthusiasts are still setting new benchmarks on the Pleistocene-era lake. This year's Bonneville Speed Week, for instance, saw at least six important records find their way into the history books. The 18-minute video below includes all of them among other runs that saw lake racers hit more than 400 mph.
While most automakers are still struggling to hit the magical 300-mph (483-kph) mark, rockets on wheels like Speed Demon are sprinting rather comfortably beyond 400 mph. Specifically, Speed Demon managed to hit 466 mph (750 kph) in this session. J&S also reached 410 mph (660 kph) with its winged racer, while Salt Shark joined in on the fun with a 355-mph (571-kph) run.
As far as new class records go, Ferguson Racing managed 388 mph (624 kph), while Wolfe-Strasburg went home with a 361-mph (581-kph) benchmark. DRM Racing and Thundersalt 2 also set new records at 293 and 262 mph (472 and 422 kph), respectively, but you'll see a few more cars exceed the 200-mph (322-kph) mark in their quest for high-speed glory.
The lunar-like scenery, the outlandish vehicle designs, and the thunderous engine notes are just the icing on the cake. Hit the play button below to enter high-speed heaven.
FAQs
The current car land speed record was set in 1997 at a whopping 763 mph, reportedly the first land vehicle to break the sound barrier. For these four days of racing, sponsored by the Utah Salt Flats Racing Association, participants must have proven they can reach — and maintain — certain minimum speeds.
What car can go 400 mph in real life? ›
Can a car go 400 mph? As of 2023, no cars have managed to break the 400 mph barrier but that's not due to manufacturers' lack of trying. As it stands, there are a few cars that have managed to exceed 300 mph.
What is the world's fastest car on the Salt Flats? ›
The Speed Demon's fastest speed was 466.290 mph and was achieved with a turbocharged 443ci, LS-based engine built by Duttweiler Performance. This is the 10th time Speed Demon has posted the top speed of the SCTA's Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover, Utah.
What is the fastest car record in history? ›
The current holder of the Outright World Land Speed Record is ThrustSSC driven by Andy Green, a twin turbofan jet-powered car which achieved 763.035 mph - 1227.985 km/h - over one mile in October 1997. This is the first supersonic record as it exceeded the sound barrier at Mach 1.016.
What is the official fastest car in the world? ›
The fastest car in the world is: Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut (330 MPH)
Is it illegal to drive on the Bonneville Salt Flats? ›
The salt flats are generally open to the public for recreational purposes. Motor vehicle use is limited by seasonal closure during the spring when the salt is moist or has standing water on the surface.
Can any car hit 1000 mph? ›
A car with that kind of speed level also requires immense power. The Bloodhound required a total thrust of 20 tonnes to achieve a top speed of 1,000 mph. This phenomenal amount of robustness doesn't come with regular machines. It's no surprise that the Bloodhound harbours a Eurojet EJ200 jet engine.
What is the fastest legal car ever? ›
Holding onto the top production car speed record is the Swedish Koenigsegg Agera RS. The undefeated top speed record of 277.87 mph was set on November 4, 2017 on a public road in Nevada, making it the fastest car in the world for street use.
What is the fastest human made vehicle? ›
Land vehicles
| Category | Speed (km/h) | Vehicle |
|---|
| Land speed record | 1,227.985 | ThrustSSC |
| Wheel-driven | 745.187 | Vesco Turbinator II |
| Piston-engine | 722.204 | Challenger 2 |
| Motorcycle | 605.698 | Ack Attack |
9 more rowsThe fastest speed at which humans have travelled is 39,937.7 km/h (24,816.1 mph). The command module of Apollo 10, carrying Col.
Thrust SSC holds the world land speed record, set on 15 October 1997, and driven by Andy Green, when it achieved a speed of 1,228 km/h (763 mph) and it became the first and only land vehicle to officially break the sound barrier.
What is the fastest human-powered vehicle? ›
Aerovelo just broke their own record for fastest human-powered vehicle ever.
Has any car reached 500 mph? ›
The Bloodhound supersonic car has reached a speed of over 500 miles per hour (mph)! It's managed 501 mph to be precise in high-speed trials in South Africa.
What is the fastest motorcycle speed Salt Flats? ›
Today's record, held by Rocky Robinson since 2010 riding the Top Oil-Ack Attack streamliner, sits at 376.363 mph (605.697 km/h). The iconic Bonneville name was conceived following Johnny Allen's land-speed record runs at the Salt Flats in September 1956, when he reached the record breaking speed of 193.72 mph.
What is the top speed of the f1 Salt Flats? ›
The answer, it turned out, was an FIA-sanctioned Formula One land speed record of 397.360km/h, though in testing in the Mojave Desert it hit a staggering 413.205km/h.
What is the fastest speed a motorcycle has ever gone? ›
Since late 2010, the Ack Attack team has held the motorcycle land speed record at 376.36 mph (605.69 km/h).
Do the Bonneville Salt Flats have a speed limit? ›
The answer is as fast as your vehicle can take you. That's right there is no speed limit on the flats and people can easily succeed speeds of 100 mph in the flat dry terrain. If you are one of the speed junkies that really wants to push the limit of your vehicle we suggest going to the International Speedway.
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