Craig Breedlove sets a land speed record of 600.601 mph (966.574 km/h) in his car, the Spirit of America, at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.

The world land speed record for a car represents the highest speed achieved on land by a vehicle under controlled conditions and is a thrilling benchmark in automotive engineering and human ambition. As of the current record, set on October 15, 1997, by British Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green, the supersonic car ThrustSSC reached a speed of 763 mph (1,228 km/h), breaking the sound barrier and making it the first car to do so. This record was achieved in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, USA, with ThrustSSC, a jet-powered car designed by Richard Noble and powered by two Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines. The record’s legacy stretches back over a century, as drivers and engineers have continuously pushed the boundaries of speed through innovative designs, advanced materials, and increasingly powerful engines. Today, the land speed record remains a formidable challenge, with teams from around the world working on even more powerful, rocket-assisted cars in hopes of surpassing ThrustSSC’s achievement and reaching speeds of 1,000 mph or more.