Powered by a single Rolls-Royce Avon jet engine,
the British designed and built Thrust2 held the land
speed record between 1983 and 1997.
Driven by Richard
Noble, it would reach a top speed of 633 mph (1018
km/h) on the 4th October, 1983 at the Black Rock
Desert in Nevada, USA.
In 1997 the Thrust2's record
was broken by Richard Noble's follow up car, ThrustSSC
(Super Sonic Car). This later iteration was jointly developed by Richard Noble,
Glynne Bowsher, Ron Ayers and Jeremy Bliss.
On October 15, 1997 the car achieved
an incredible 1,228 km/h (763 mph), and in the process not only smashing the
land speed record, but also claiming the title as the first land vehicle to ever “officially” break
the sound barrier.