World land speed record: Thrust SSC
ThrustSSC, (or Thrust SSC, Thrust supersonic car), is a British jet-propelled car developed by Richard Noble, Glynne Bowsher, Ron Ayers and Jeremy Bliss.
ThrustSSC holds the World Land Speed Record, set on 15 October 1997, when it achieved a speed of 1,228 km/h (763 mph) and became the first car to officially break the sound barrier. (link)
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Wheel-driven land speed record: Vesco Turbinator
The fastest speed ever reached by a vehicle powered through its wheels is 775.106 km/h (470.444 mph), by the turbine-powered Vesco Turbinator, driven by Don Vesco (USA) at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, USA, on 18 October 2001. Note: This is an unofficial record.
Wheel-driven refers to the fact that the power of the engine is directed to the car's wheels, which then power it forwards. Thrust SSC, the car that set the absolute land speed record, was jet-powered, meaning that it was the thrust of the jets that powered it forward - the wheels were 'passive'.
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Motorcycle land speed record: Top 1 Oil - Ack Attack
The impressive Top 1 Oil Ack Attack streamliner, built by designer Mike Akatiff and piloted by racer Rocky Robinson, eclipsed the previous record by 8 mph in September 2010, notching a two-way average speed on the table-flat Salt Flats of 605.697 km/h (376.363 mph).
With motive force coming from a pair of turbocharged and intercooled Suzuki Hayabusa motors, the motorcycle is a one-of-a-kind engineering marvel that few get to see up close. (link)
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Diesel-powered land speed record: JCB DieselMax
The JCB Dieselmax is a diesel-engined 'streamliner' car designed for the purpose of breaking the land speed record for a diesel-engined vehicle.
The car was built for JCB, a British multinational equipment company. As of 2013, the car holds the world diesel-powered land speed record, having been driven to over 350 miles per hour (563 km/h) by Wing Commander Andy Green in 2006. (link)
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Electric-powered land speed record: Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2.5
The world's fastest electric-powered vehicle, the Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2.5, is a student-based project at The Ohio State University's Center for Automotive Research (CAR).
The vehicle was able to set a FIA sactioned world record at 495.140 km/h (307.666 mph) with a top speed of over 320 mph. (link)
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Solar-powered land speed record: Sunswift IVy
With a speed of 88.738 km/h (55.077 mph), the University of New South Wales’ (UNSW)Sunswift IVy has claimed the Guinness World Record for the fastest solar-powered vehicle. The record-beating run took place on January 7, 2011 at HMAS Albatross navy base airstrip in Nowra, Australia, and outdid the previous record-holder by more than 10 km/h (6.2 mph). (link)
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Wind-powered land speed record: Ecotricity Greenbird
The Ecotricity Greenbird is a wind-powered vehicle that broke the land speed record for thefastest wind-powered vehicle at the dry Ivanpah Lake on March 26, 2009. It was built by the British engineer Richard Jenkins. The Greenbird reached a peak speed of 202.9 km/h (126.1 mph). (link)
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Human powered land speed record: Varna Tempest
On land, the speed record registered by a rider on a 200 meter flying start speed trial is 133.28 km/h (82.82 mph) by the Canadian Sam Whittingham riding the Varna Tempest, a streamliner recumbent bicycle in year 2009 at Battle Mountain, Nevada. (link)
The previous record 2008:
Tracked vehicle land speed record: Ripsaw
The Ripsaw, the world’s fastest tracked vehicle, is a developmental unmanned light tank designed and built by Howe & Howe Technologies for evaluation by the United States Army. It is able to accelerate to 60 mph in about 4 seconds. (link)
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