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'Thrust' car close to world land speed record
September 22, 1997
Web posted at: 7:13 p.m. EDT (1913 GMT)GERLACH, Nevada (Reuter) -- Britain's Thrust Supersonic Car clocked the fastest recorded land speed in history on Monday, but narrowly failed to set an official world record.
The huge black car reached a speed of 687.9 miles per hour (1,100 kph) over the timed mile (1.6 km) of the course in Nevada's Black Rock Desert after an earlier run of 618.5 mph (990 kph). If the two runs had been made within one hour it would have been a new world land speed record, but the runs were 80 minutes apart.
"This is the fastest officially timed speed of all time. You've seen a little bit of history made today," Thrust project director Richard Noble told reporters.
Noble himself set the existing world record of 633 mph (1,012 kph) in 1983 in the Black Rock Desert. He has now handed over the driving to Royal Air Force fighter pilot Andy Green.
Taking an average of Monday's two runs, Green would have recorded a speed of more than 650 mph (1,040 kph), but the speed will not count as a world record because the elapsed time between the two runs was greater than the one hour permitted by the rules.
"It's seriously exciting... (the car) is very stable. There seems to be no problem. We are well on our way," Noble said, adding that the team may try for a world record on Tuesday if there are no problems.
Copyright 1997 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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