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Who cares about fuel economy when you have a record-setting car able to theoretically travel from Melbourne to Sydney in under an hour – and it’s up for grabs.
Since the advent of the car, racers have pushed themselves and their machines to the limit to find out just how fast they can go.
The first land speed record, comprising the average of the maximum speeds set over a 1km course (with a flying start) that is travelled in both directions within a 30-minute time period, was set in December 1898 at the blistering pace of 63.15km/h.
The record, set in France by French driver Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat (in an electric car no less) stood for about a month until Belgian, Camille Jenatzy recorded a speed of 66.66km/h in January 1899.
The subsequent 126 years have seen roughly 60 more records broken, with the current land speed record of 1227.98km/h set 28 years ago by British driver Andy Green in the jet-powered Thrust SSC. It was the first time the record exceeded the speed of sound (1235km/h).
The quest for the sound barrier was a big thing in the 1960s with the advent of jet and rocket-powered cars seeking to beat the standing 403mph (648.73km/h) record set by English driver Donald Campbell on South Australia’s Lake Eyre in July 1964.
American racer Craig Breedlove would break 500mph in October 1964 then 600mph over a 1-mile course a little over a year later in November 1965. The record was set in a four-wheeled, jet-powered car called Spirit of America – Sonic 1, which is now being offered for sale.
Part of the RM Sotheby’s Miami 2025 auction, Spirit of America – Sonic 1 is being offloaded from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum collection and has a guide price between $US500,000 and $US1,000,000 ($A790k - $A1.6m).
Powered by a General Electric J79 turbojet engine with afterburner, sourced from a McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II fighter bomber, Sonic 1 is powered soley by the engine’s thrust and is essentially a seat and four wheels strapped to a jet, Wile E. Coyote style.
Output is claimed at 15,000lbs of thrust.
The body is over 10m long and covers four forged aluminium wheels with custom tyres produced by major sponsor, Goodyear.
This is the first time the record-setting car has ever been offered for private sale and is presented in museum-quality condition, ensuring it would make a strong conversation piece in anyone’s (long) garage or private collection.
Spirit of America – Sonic 1 first broke the land speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah USA on November 2, 1965 at 893.966km/h (555.485mph). This lasted less than a week, but on 15 November 1965, Craig Breedlove cracked the 600mph barrier (600.601mph or 955.95km/h) which stood for almost five years.
The car is still technically the fourth-fastest land-machine ever created, behind Thrust SSC in 1997, Thrust 2 in 1983 and Blue Flame in 1970.
With over 20 years of experience in digital publishing, James Ward has worked within the automotive landscape since 2007 and brings experience from the publishing, manufacturer and lifestyle side of the industry together to spearhead Drive's multi-media content direction.
