Try to mention new speed records exceeding 1000 km/h in any company - there will probably be a few people who will consider them unjustified risk. However, the constant increase in speed is the real engine of progress in automotive industry. Engineers are forced to develop new reliable components for record-breaking cars, as well as modify them in accordance with safety requirements. All technological advances, obtained in this way, sooner or later go into the civilian automotive industry. Therefore, another world record is not a pointless risk, but a new impetus for development.
Origins
Despite the lack of official indicators, history will forever remember the name of Emile Levassor - one of the pioneers in automotive industry and a brilliant inventor. Using a transport he personally designed, he covered a considerable distance from Paris to Bordeaux and back, winning prestigious competitions. Unfortunately, no one bothered to measure the speed in that race, and the specific indicator will forever remain a secret. However, Levassor’s fame was brought not only by the record, but also by the unforgettable phrase that driving at a speed of over thirty km/h can be called real madness.
After this, only 3 years passed before the first official speed record for land transport - in 1898, the car of Count Chaslus-Lob showed a result of 63.15 km/h. Curiously, the car did not use an engine internal combustion- it was driven by a compact electric motor designed by Charles Jeantot. It took only one kilometer to achieve the record speed. It was from this time that the modern method of fixing records began to be used - the car must cover a given distance three times, and one race must be done in the opposite direction in order to eliminate the error caused by the influence of wind.
It took just one year to overcome the 100 km/h mark in a car. Camille Genatzi used an original electric car, which he called "Forever Dissatisfied". was only 40 horsepower, but this was quite enough due to the streamlined shape of the body and the ability of electric motors to achieve maximum torque at fairly low speeds. After that, almost every person began to dream of their own world speed records.
Pre-war time
The Belgian's result was doubled by professional racer Burman, who used gasoline car made by Benz. The maximum speed it reached was 228 km/h. Of course, it was difficult to call this vehicle serial - it was subjected to many modifications both at the manufacturer and before the race itself. However, Benz received good advertising, which in just a couple of months significantly increased its sales volume.
The next significant level was overcome by the Englishman Seagrev after the First World War - in 1927. The Sunbeam car, specially designed for setting the record, was able to reach a speed of 327.9 km/h, which made it unsurpassed for the next 5 years. Yes, in these years the records were short-lived, since the technology was rapidly improving, the power of the engines was growing, and the chassis required less and less effort to control it at high speed.
In 1932, the record holder was car enthusiast Malcolm Campbell. He worked on the creation in collaboration with the Napier company, and was able to reach speeds in excess of 400 km/h. Imagine, a result that is considered almost unattainable for a modern production car was shown over 80 years ago!
However, Campbell's record was also destined to exist for 5 years. In 1937, when Europe was already facing the first prerequisites for war, John Eyeston was able to reach speeds exceeding 500 km/h, which for many years became the maximum for piston-engine vehicles. The Rolls-Royce company helped him build the car, which prepared a three-wheeled chassis and assembled a motor capable of accelerating it to incredible speeds. Only 10 years later, John Cobb broke this record, reaching 600 km/h.
Jet engine time
Surprisingly, Cobb's speed record remained absolute for a long time, despite the rapid improvement of technology in the post-war period. The next result was shown only in 1970 - it belonged to the American stuntman Harry Gabelich. The vehicle, called Blue Flame, can hardly be called a car - it was more like a rocket more than 11 meters long, equipped with wheels and a cockpit for the pilot. Jet engines were able to accelerate Gabelich's car to 1014 km/h, despite its weight exceeding 2 tons.
Interestingly, the speed of sound was first reached by another American stuntman - Stan Barrett, who used a Budweiser Rocket car. Interesting feature Such a record-breaking transport was the simultaneous installation of a liquid and solid rocket engine on it. Barrett made his record run on the active runway of a military airfield, showing a result of about 1,300 km/h. However, the commission of the International Motor Sports Federation refused to register the record because the stuntman refused to perform a race in the opposite direction, and the radar used by the military did not have automatic system management.
Modernity
Due to the incomprehensible stubbornness of Barrett, who refused to try again, maximum record speed is now associated with the name of Andy Green, who is a pilot in the British Air Force. His result was 1227 km/h, and according to the operator of the measuring complex, in one of these races the speed exceeded 1231 km/h, but the average result was recorded. There is no need to talk about the Thrust SSC drive - 110 thousand horsepower was provided by two Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines. The route was laid in the USA, in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada.
The team that built the incredible car is preparing to achieve a new record. Currently, the active phase of work on a vehicle under the name Bloodhound SSC continues, which, according to the creators' plan, should reach a speed of 1000 miles, or 1609 km/h. Its acceleration will be carried out in two stages - in the first, the car will reach a speed of 1200 km/h thanks to the Eurojet jet engine, borrowed from an English fighter, and then a hybrid will be launched rocket engine. Interestingly, to drive pumps and electrical generators the machine will use gasoline engine Jaguar V12 with 800 horsepower. Veteran car speed record driver Andy Green will take the helm.
If we talk about records set on a production car, then the Ford BADD GT, which is produced in a small series, reaches a speed of 455 km/h. The power of the V8 engine reaches 1,700 horsepower thanks to serious modifications by the tuning workshop. A car is considered serial because it received official approval design department.
Interestingly, John Cobb's record was truly surpassed in 2001, having existed for 64 years - for this, the American Don Vesco built a Turbinator car, which had wheel drive. Strictly speaking, Blue Flame and Thrust SSC cannot be considered cars in the usual sense, since they move due to jet stream, not an internal combustion engine. Turbinator is equipped with a 3,750 horsepower engine, which allows it to accelerate to 737.5 km/h. Don Vesco has already signed a contract with an engineering agency that will supply an engine with 4,400 horsepower, which will allow it to accelerate to 500 miles per hour, which is 805 km/h.
Continuous struggle
Bloodhound SSC is not the only contender for the title of world record holder - several more teams from different parts of the world have announced their intention to prepare supersonic cars. Although their endeavors are not well received by society, engineers appreciate such projects, since each of them brings serious benefits to production cars. While we wait for a new speed record, it is worth remembering other interesting achievements:
- The maximum speed of steam transport is 223.75 km/h (2009);
- The maximum speed of a diesel car is 563.42 km/h (2006);
- Speed of the fastest Audi sedan S4 - 418 km/h (1992);
- Speed record - 843.32 km/h (1976).
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Speed has always attracted people - it allows them to instantly cover vast distances, significantly saving precious time. However, it was not only convenience that attracted people - after all, the name of the one who set a new record was immortalized by the technique and acquired worldwide fame. That is why world car speed records are constantly updated - hundreds of brilliant engineers are working on the creation of even more powerful and advanced cars, millions of dollars are invested in their development, and hundreds of thousands of caring people are waiting with bated breath for the next milestone to be overcome. Surely everyone who cares about speed will be interested in learning about the history of its conquest.
At the dawn of the automobile era
The first speed record is believed to belong to the French racer and designer Emile Levassor, who set it during the Paris-Bordeaux race. The whole world remembers his phrase, which served as the beginning of the desire for high speeds: “We delivered thirty kilometers per hour! It was real madness! But in 1895, there were no official definitions of record indicators, so formally the French engineer was left without the status of a pioneer.
And it went to Count Gaston de Chasselu-Lobas, who took care of registering his achievement. The car, developed by designer Charles Jeantot, accelerated to 63 km/h at a distance of 1 kilometer. His eternal rival, professional racing driver Camille Zhenatzi, decided to take the title of record holder, who accelerated to 66 km/h just a few days later. This is how a long-term confrontation began, during which the cars continued to be improved and received, as well as aerodynamic bodies. In 1899, Comte de Chaslus-Lobas finally managed to significantly outpace the enemy, reaching 92.7 km/h - then such a speed was considered simply unattainable.
But just two months later, Kamil Zhenatzi set the first landmark speed record in a car - he overcame the 100 km/h mark, exceeding it by 5 kilometers. He owed much of his incredible success to a car called “Eternally Dissatisfied,” which was equipped with electric motors and had a streamlined body made of alloyed aluminum alloy. This car was the last of a number of record-breaking electric vehicles - all other cars were already equipped with other types of power units.
Surprisingly, the next milestone was first overcome by steam transport, which had not yet been completely written off - in 1906, racer Fred Marriott in a Stanley car accelerated to 205 km/h. , then still very imperfect, could not reach such a record. But in 1909, the Blitzen Benz, driven by Victor Emery, achieved a speed of 202 km/h on the Brookland circuit in Great Britain. Two years later, Robert Burman set the next world speed record using a car with an internal combustion engine - he reached a value of 228 km/h.
Chasing the impossible
The next world speed record was set by Henry Seagrev, who Sunbeam “The Slug” 1000 hp, equipped with two aircraft engines with a total power of 900 horsepower. On the Daytona Beach track in 1927, he accelerated to 327 km/h, which allowed him to simultaneously exceed the milestone mileage of 200 per hour. It is interesting that, unlike previously existing prototypes, this machine was not at all light - its total launch weight exceeded 4 tons!
Another famous racer, Malcolm Campbell, who had previously tried several times unsuccessfully to win a world title in a Blue Bird car equipped with a Napier engine, could not come to terms with Sigrev’s championship. In 1931, Campbell brought a new generation of his famous car to Daytona Beach, which was called the Campbell-Napier-Railton. During two runs, he showed a speed of 396 km/h, just shy of the next threshold. However, a year later he returned with a slightly modified car, and reached a speed of 404 km/h, officially writing his name in history and receiving the title of knight.
However, soon internal combustion engines also had to make room, giving way to more powerful jet turbines. But until this happened, the American John Eyston took advantage of the maximum available power of the internal combustion engine at that time, installing two aircraft engines with a capacity of 5,000 horsepower on his car. In 1937, his record-breaking car reached a speed of 502 km/h, driving several times along the bottom of dry Lake Bonneville. In 1939, this record was raised to 575 km/h, but Eyston refused further competition, and was soon surpassed by racer John Cobb, who showed results first of 595 and then of 640 km/h.
Modern records
After World War II, most racers switched to jet engines, which seemed... Indeed, on the same dry Lake Bonneville, American Harry Gabelich in 1970 accelerated to a speed of 1014 km/h. Such a car, called Blue Flame, was equipped with a single jet turbine, the thrust of which reached approximately 22 thousand horsepower. In 1979, it was stated that stuntman Stanley Barrett broke the speed of sound, but the driver did not want to make a second run in accordance with the rules for setting records, and the army specialists who took the measurements did not record his achievement in the protocols.
To date, the maximum vehicle speed record belongs to the supersonic vehicle Thrust SSC, which showed a result of 1228 km/h. The corresponding confirming record was made in 1997, when the car entered the track in the Black Rock Desert of the United States. The car was equipped with two Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines operating in afterburner mode - their total power reached 110 thousand horsepower. British Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green, who holds the title of driver, was invited especially to drive such an incredible vehicle.
Now the team that created the Thrust SSC is working on creating an even faster car, called the Bloodhound SSC. Especially for it, the British Air Force provided the developers with two jet engines and an 800-horsepower V8 gasoline engine, all the power of which will be used to provide the engines with electrical power, as well as to drive the fuel supply pumps. It is expected that the car will overcome the barrier of 1,000 miles or 1,609 kilometers per hour, and the well-deserved record holder Andy Green will sit behind the wheel.
Set the speed record for a production car Bugatti car Veyron Super Sport, which at one time accelerated to 431 km/h thanks to the W16, which produces 1,200 horsepower. Interestingly, many other manufacturers are trying to challenge this record. The problem is that any production cars of this brand are equipped with a speed limiter that activates at 415 km/h, whereas on the car that participated in the record race it was disabled.
However, the fastest on public roads was the Ford GT, which was modified by PPR and received a new name BADD GT. The car with a forced V8 develops 1,700 horsepower and reaches a speed of 455 km/h. But this car cannot be considered a production car, since it was produced in a single copy.
Sometimes speeds are confused with a similar achievement on land, which is completely wrong. Thus, the maximum speed achieved by a vehicle that has not left the earth’s surface is 10,430 km/h. It belongs to the drones rocket sled, moving along a specially laid rail track. This achievement was recorded in 2003 at Holloman Air Force Base in the USA.
Faster and faster
When the record-breaking Bloodhound SSC is completed and this car reaches a new milestone, what will be the next threshold that engineers will want to cross? Many people will say that such entertainment is a waste of money, does not bring any benefit to society, and that record racing should be stopped. However, it is worth remembering that many technical solutions, which were first used in such record-breaking vehicles. Therefore, the whole world should look forward to new speed records.
There are people who live at top speed. They chase records and strive to be the fastest. And it doesn't matter how they do it - behind the wheel racing car or on the back of a racing camel. The point is that speed is in their blood.
If BMW company was a person, one could say the same about her. From superb performances in the DTM racing series and European touring racing, to Formula 1 and circuit racing, speed has been an integral part of BMW's life throughout its history and remains so today.
Technologies proven on the race track and during record runs, are used by BMW in the development of road cars. Firstly, this is evidenced by the quality of German technology, repeatedly tested under extreme loads. Secondly, many of the company’s “civilian” models breathe speed, for example, the “charged” 370-horsepower beauty BMW M2 Coupe, capable of accelerating to “hundreds” in 4.3 seconds and limited to 250 km/h only electronically for safety reasons. Finally, it is worth mentioning the line of BMW M Performance accessories, which allows you to customize various models of the company in a sporty style. Carbon body kit that reduces aerodynamic drag, power package, sports exhaust and braking systems, interior accessories - the ability to make a car out of regular car attracts many.
That's why today we're talking about speed records. About brilliant engineers who build fast cars, planes and ships. About fearless pilots who take risks to become one of the fastest. About records, simple and complex, ordinary and strange - about what a person cannot exist without.
LAND SPEED RECORDS
ABSOLUTE SPEED RECORD ON THE LAND:
1227.986 km/h
VEHICLE: THRUST SSC
POWER UNIT: TWO ROLLS-ROYCE SPEY RB.168 MK.202 TURBOFAN ENGINES
PILOT: ANDY GREEN
DATE: OCTOBER 15, 1997
WHO WILL BEAT: BLOODHOUND SSC CAR
There is only one team in the world today that consistently beats one absolute record speed after another, and this situation has persisted for 30 years. It all started with the fact that back in 1983, Richard Noble accelerated to a speed of 1019.47 km/h in a jet Thrust 2 in the Black Rock Desert. A decade and a half later, Noble acted as a designer - his pilot Andy Green set two speed records in a row in the mighty Thrust SSC. Today the same team is preparing for the next race the monstrous Bloodhound SSC, which should accelerate to more than 1600 km/h. Thrust SSC became the first car to break the sound barrier. Its design used two aircraft engine with a total power of 110,000 hp, similar to those installed on the F-4 Phantom II fighter-bomber and burning 18 liters of fuel per second. Not very economical, but the record has stood for almost 20 years. Because no one except Noble is trying to beat him.
HYDROGEN POWERED VEHICLE:
487.672 km/h
VEHICLE: BUCKEYE BULLET 2
POWER UNIT: HYDROGEN FUEL CELL ENGINE
PILOT: ROGER SCHROER
DATE: SEPTEMBER 25, 2009
WHO WILL BEAT: BUCKEYE BULLET 3 IN 2017-2018
Although hydrogen-powered cars have been around for a relatively long time, until 2004 no one tried to build a special car to set a speed record in this field. BMW was the first to present a record BMW car I I2R with a 12-cylinder giant engine, which eventually accelerated to 301.95 km/h. The record stood until 2009 - it was broken by a team from Ohio State University on a special Buckeye Bullet 2. It is worth noting that the same guys hold the speed record for electric vehicles (495.526 km/h), set a year later on a Buckeye Bullet 2.5. The third generation of the car is currently in development.
STEAM CAR:
238.679 km/h
VEHICLE: INSPIRATION
POWER UNIT: TWO-STAGE STEAM TURBINE
PILOT: DONWALES
DATE: AUGUST 26, 2009
WHO WILL BEAT: TEAM STEAM USA CYCLONE IN 2017-2018
The speed record for a steam car lasted for 103 (!) years. Back in 1903, pilot Fred Marriott, in a record-breaking Stanley Rocket, accelerated to 205.5 km/h on Daytona Beach. Until the mid-1980s, no one simply bothered with the need to break this record. In 1985 American pilot Bob Barber in the Barber-Nichols Steamin Demon reached a speed of 234.33 km/h, but the record was not recognized by the FIA due to a violation of the rules (Barber conducted both races in one direction, while the FIA requires them to be conducted in opposite directions within one hour). Finally, in 2009, a British team led by Glynn Bowsher built the steam-powered Inspiration, which exceeded the bar set by Marriott. Now two teams - Steam Speed America and Team Steam USA - are preparing their steam cars for the races, and one of them is likely to overturn the British achievement.
MOTORBIKE:
605.697 km/h
VEHICLE: TOP OIL ASK ATTACK STREAMLINER
POWER UNIT: TWO TURBORATED SUZUKI HAYABUSA ENGINES
PILOT: ROCKY ROBINSON
DATE: SEPTEMBER 25, 2010
WHO WILL BEAT: ROCKY ROBINSON HIMSELF IN 2017-2018
In the 2000s, the battle for the motorcycle speed record was very intense - pilots Rocky Robinson and Chris Carr surpassed each other's achievements four times, alternately ending up at the top of the record pyramid. Robinson reached the point on the Ack Attack streamliner, becoming the first motorcyclist to break the 600 km/h bar. The record-breaking motorcycle was equipped with two powerful Suzuki Hayabusas with a total volume of 2598 cm3, enhanced by Garret turbocharging. It is interesting that in record practice the line between the concepts of “car” and “motorcycle” is very thin - motorcycles with a side support (“sidecar”) are very similar to cars; history even knew a case when the record car Spirit of America by Craig Breedlove was “requalified” into the motorcycle after the race, although one way or another he set an absolute speed record for any vehicle in 1963.
AIR SPEED RECORDS
PROPELLER AIRCRAFT:
871.38 km/h
VEHICLE: PASSENGER AIRCRAFT-1M
POWER UNIT: 4 GAS TURBINE ENGINES NK-12
PILOT: IVAN SUKHOMLIN
DATE: MARCH 24, 1960 WHO WILL BEAT: NO ONE. SMALL PLANES ARE NOT CAPABLE OF THIS, AND THEY ARE NOT BUILDING LARGE PLANES WITH PROPELLER traction ANYMORE
Not all records belong to the British and Americans. For example, the speed record for an aircraft driven by propellers (that is, not a jet) has been held for more than half a century by Soviet test pilot Ivan Sukhomlin, who accelerated to 871 km/h on the Tu-114. The 114th was, in fact, the last large passenger turboprop airplane, and at the time of its creation (1957) - the largest passenger airplane in the world in general! It was driven by four huge NK-12 SNTK Kuznetsov engines, and each rotated two propellers with a diameter of 6 m in opposite directions. Today, the era of turboprop aircraft is a thing of the past, and it is unlikely that anyone will ever invest millions of dollars in the construction of a machine, capable of breaking this record.
MUSCLE:
44.26 km/h
VEHICLE: MUSCULAIR 2
POWER UNIT: NONE
PILOT: HOLGER ROCHELT
DATE: OCTOBER 2, 1985
WHO WILL BEAT: SOME OF THE ENTHUSIASTS, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY MORE ACCURATELY
The muscle plane is an unusual and rare device; in the entire history of mankind, hardly a hundred have existed. The first flight of an aircraft using muscular (pedal) propulsion occurred only in 1961, and the first flight not in a straight line, that is, allowing you to change the direction of movement, was in 1977. German engineer Gunther Rochelt was one of the enthusiasts of muscle flying, creating two record-breaking aircraft, the Musculair and Musculair 2. Musculair became the first muscle plane in history to lift a passenger (the pilot was Gunther's son, Holger Rochelt, and the passenger was his daughter, Katrin). And in the second generation, Holger set a still unsurpassed speed record for a machine using muscle power. In fact, there are enough enthusiasts of this unusual trend in the world, and sooner or later Holger’s record must fall. But obviously not in the next three or four years.
HELICOPTER:
508.6 km/h
VEHICLE: PRODUCTION BELL 533 HELICOPTER
POWER UNIT: 1 LYCOMING T53-L-9A GAS TURBINE ENGINE AND 2 PRATT & WHITNEY JT12 TURBOJETS
PILOT: LUHARTWIG
DATE: APRIL 15, 1969
WHO WILL BEAT: SIKORSKY S-97 RAIDER IN SPECIAL CONFIGURATION
The speed record for a classic helicopter, the Westland Lynx, has stood since 1986 and is 400.87 km/h.
But there is a way to cheat the nature of a rotorcraft: attach a push/pull propeller or jet engine to it, so that the main rotor produces only lift. Actually, Bell 533 was the first experimental helicopter with a pusher jet. And if the pusher propeller of the promising Sikorsky S-97 Raider is replaced with a turbine for experimental purposes, it may well be able to break Bell’s record.
AIRPLANE:
3529.6 km/h
VEHICLE: LOCKHEED SR-71 BLACKBIRD STRATEGIC RECOUNTY
POWER UNIT: 2 PRATT & WHITNEY J58 AIR JET ENGINES
PILOT: ELDON JORS
DATE: JULY 28, 1976
WHO WILL BEAT: MOST LIKELY NOBODY - NOBODY JUST NEEDS THIS
The Air Force's famous strategic supersonic reconnaissance aircraft, the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, was not a dedicated record-breaking aircraft. It’s just that in the 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, the task was set to develop an aircraft that, due to its high speed and high altitude, could evade both observation and attack by the Soviet Air Force.
In particular, the MiG-25 was being developed in the USSR at about the same time. One way or another, the Blackbird turned out to be very unusual - its design seems futuristic to this day, although it made its first flight on December 22, 1964. And in 1976, test pilot Eldon Georges set an absolute speed record for aircraft, and at the same time an absolute altitude record for a planned flight (without the help of a record “candle”), 26,929 m. The SR-71 also holds several other speed records in different disciplines. Interestingly, in the 1980s, pilot Brian Schul claimed that during the 1986 Libyan operation he achieved even higher speeds in the SR-71, but instrument readings did not confirm this.
SPEED RECORDS SAILS AND RAILS
ABSOLUTE WATER SPEED RECORD:
511.121 km/h
VEHICLE: SPIRIT OF AUSTRALIA
POWER UNIT: WESTINGHOUSE J34 TURBOJET ENGINE
PILOT: KEN WARBY
DATE: OCTOBER 8, 1978
WHO WILL BEAT: THEORETICALLY SOME MADMAN. PRACTICALLY - NOBODY
In the 20th century, speed records on land and on water were equally prestigious and were often set by the same people - the great Malcolm and Donald Campbell (Henry Seagrave, Gar Wood. It seemed that in 1967 a point in the conveyor of records put the American Lee Taylor on the Hustler boat, but ten years later the Australian Ken Warby appeared. He designed and built a plastic-wooden ultra-light boat Spirit of Australia, on which he installed a Westinghouse J34 jet engine, bought at a flea market for $69, and installed it on this miracle of technology. two speed records - first beating Taylor by 6 km/h, and then adding another 50 km/h to his result. Warby's record is unique - no one today dares to repeat his crazy “trick” with a boat that weighed less than the engine that drove it. it was in motion, and in the event of any accident it would turn into a handful of scraps.
SAILING SHIP:
121.21 km/h
VEHICLE: CATAMARAN BOAT VESTAS SAILROCKET 2
POWER UNIT: SAILS
PILOT: PAUL LARSEN
DATE: NOVEMBER 2012
WHO WILL BEAT: PAUL LARSEN HIMSELF ON THE NEXT GENERATION OF CATAMARAN
Surprisingly, the absolute speed record for a sailing vehicle long belonged to... surfers - first windsurfers, then kite surfers (their sail is a kite). Only for a short time in 2009 - 2010, the achievement was held by the French trimaran Hydroptere.
But in November 2012, Australian Paul Larsen finally returned honor to “normal” sailboats. The high-tech (carbon-titanium) and insanely expensive catamaran Vestas Sailrocket 2, specially designed to set this record, seriously “broke” surfers who could not accelerate to more than 103 km/h - and, most likely, will no longer be able to, since surfing has technical limit.
CONVENTIONAL RAIL VEHICLE:
603.0 km/h
VEHICLE: MAGLEV L0 SERIES MAGLEUS TRAIN
POWER UNIT: LINEAR MOTOR
PILOT: TEAM OF TESTERS, INCLUDING JR TOKAI TESTING CENTER HEAD YASUKAZUENDO
DATE: APRIL 21, 2015
WHO WILL BEAT: THE NEXT GENERATION OF JAPANESE MAGLEV OR HYPERLOOP
If we take a “normal” train, and not a jet skid for military tests, then the record in this area was set quite recently. The result shown on the Yamanashi test section by the SCMaglev MLX01 maglev (581 km/h) lasted for 13 years, and now the next generation, the L0 Series maglev, turned out to be even faster, breaking the 600 km/h bar for the first time in the history of passenger trains. The record train consisted of a locomotive and six carriages. There were 49 employees on board railway JR Central, and the train maintained its maximum speed for 10.8 seconds. Such tests are carried out to find out the technical limit of the Maglev system, as well as to understand how passengers feel when using it. Real cruising speed L0 Series is 10 km less. By the way, if we talk about ordinary rail trains, then the record (574.8 km/h) has been held by the French SNCF TGV POS for nine years.
RAILS:
1017 km/h
VEHICLE: ROCKET SLED SONIC WIND NO.1
POWER UNIT: ROCKET ENGINE
PILOT: JOHN PAUL STEPP
DATE: DECEMBER 10, 1954
WHO WILL BEAT: HYPELOOP - THERE ARE NO MORE CONTENDERS
We're not talking about a locomotive, but about a jet sled. They hold the speed record for unmanned ground vehicles, 10,326 km/h. Sleigh with jet engine, placed on rails, are capable of reaching insane speeds. In the 1950s, Americans conducted a series of tests related to the effects of superspeed on humans. In a chair bolted to the sled sat Colonel John Paul Stapp. During the tests, he became for some time the fastest man on earth (even airplanes didn’t fly that fast back then).
UNUSUAL SPEED RECORDS
ON THE MOON:
18.0 km/h
VEHICLE: APOLLO 17 LUNAR ROVING VEHICLE)
