• land speed record

    Bloodhound SSC Gang To Attempt To Break 1000 MPH Speed Mark

    Andy Green, former RAF pilot and current holder of the world land speed record, and Richard Noble, the driving force behind the Thrust 2 and Thrust SSC speed record cars, today announced they were signing on to the new Bloodhound SSC project intended to break the 1000 MPH mark. If they get there, they'd smash the current record by more than 200 MPH. Since the Bloodhound SSC has the backing of the British Science Minister, the team is hoping funds on the order of $16 million will be relatively easy to come by. The key components — the engines — have already been figured out.

    More »

    9:30 AM on Thu Oct 23 2008
    By Andrew Stoy
    2,529 views, 70 comments

    Most discussed Rust-MyEnemy--ymenEyM-tsuR: I think it's a real shame that nobody seems to care about setting a wheel-driven land speed record anymore, with, more »

  • found on ebay

    Faster Than A Veyron, And Yours At Half The Price!

    Not only can you buy rusted-out hulks on eBay Motors, you can score yourself a brand new SSC Aero, with a Buy It Now price of a way-cheaper-than-Veyron $585,899. As we all know, this thing is the fastest production car in the world, which should be good for bragging rights next time your Veyron-driving buddies are feeling too cocky. We have a few questions about the pricing, though. First, when you're looking at well over a half-mil, do you suppose it might be possible to skip the K-Mart-style $899 at the end? Price the damn thing at $586K or $585K and be done with it! Then there's the starting bid of just one dollar below the Buy It Now... with the reserve not met. What's the point? [eBay Motors]

    10:00 AM on Mon Mar 10 2008
    By Murilee Martin
    2,731 views, 38 comments

    Latest by Number_Six: @racerx: Holy crud, the Cizeta is $650,000. Own your own piece of '80s crapulosity for 2167 easy payments of just more »

  • novelties

    Aérotrains Will Blow You Away

    Ekranoplan, meet Aérotrain. Developed by the French in the sixties and seventies, the Aérotrain system was a solution to a problem many folk at the time taking on, improving speed and efficiency in the rail system. Maglev was impossibly expensive, and rail lines required high maintenance to keep them running smooth, so what is the next option? Hover trains. That's right, these babies flew down the smooth concrete track at up to 430 km/h. Only four prototypes were ever built (#2 is shown above) but each had its own unique way of hurtling through the countryside. (If you intend to make the jump, be warned, there's a video with French voiceover and Queen's The Show Must Go On, but hey, rockets!) More »

    4:30 PM on Mon Feb 11 2008
    By Ben Wojdyla
    4,109 views, 42 comments

    Latest by FЯeeMan is slowly cЯawling out of the new commenting system: Refueling rockets & repacking chutes makes for a lengthy layover at each stop, but the WHOOOOOOOOOSH in between more than more »

  • speed record

    Alex Roy on Letterman, Tonight!

    Looks like the writer's strike is really taking a toll. I mean, Alex Roy is going to be on Letterman? Sure, Alex will probably be talking about his book (The Driver which I just picked up — the first chapter rocks... that's all I can honestly say at this point in time) and his flabbergastingly ballsy high-speed, record setting cross country jaunt. But we heard about that on NPR. We're hoping that Dave has Herr Roy drive the Team Polizei M5 onto the stage and perform Stupid Hoon Tricks. Hey, they gotta fill up the time, right? [TeamPolizei144.com]

    4:45 PM on Tue Jan 8 2008
    By Jonny Lieberman
    961 views, 17 comments

    Latest by Alex Roy: I've heard...bald, fat, slow, lazy, cowardly, old-lady-like, pale, foolish, nuts, dumb, shameless, stupid and rude, but never asshole. more »

  • news

    Fastest Lamborghini Ever, Edo Competition Sets Record in Murcielago

    Take one carefully tuned Lamborghini Murcielago LP 640, an eight-mile oval, and a bunch of speed freaks propelled by destiny (and not a few shots of espresso) and you get the highest official speed for a Lamborghini, Ever. This fast lambo was able to propel itself to 214.8 mph with only the addition of high performance catalytic converters, new high flow air filters and a tweaked ECU, good for 663 horsepower. Next time around they plan to bump the Murcielago to 700 horsepower to achieve a top seed of 224 mph. The highly entertaining press release below the jump. More »

    9:15 AM on Mon Dec 3 2007
    By Matt Hardigree
    1,921 views, 8 comments

    Latest by Adidac425: @Matt_Hardigree: Werd more »

  • tuners

    Brabus-Tuned Maybach 57 Hits 205 mph in Nardo

    There's a record for everything, though not every one gets equal weight among the record watchers. Take, for example, the title of Fastest and Most Exclusive Luxury Sedan. Show up at the Guinness doorstep with that belt, and they'll send you packing along with the guy sporting the world's largest buttocks-region carbuncle. Nonetheless, Mercedes tuning shop Brabus is still proud of its latest Maybach tweaker, a 57 that hit 205.2 mph on Italy's Nardo test track this week. Under the long, Maybachian bonnet is the same 730-horsepower 6.3-liter biturbo powerplant developed for the Brabus Rocket Mercedes CLS, which hit 227 mph on Nardo a year ago this month. What's more, adrenalin-addicted plutocrats can be transported to the M&A negotiations in style, swaddled in an interior of lambs' wool, Alcantara and an organic polymer made from a blend of Lemur penis and the downy fluff of newborn oven-stuffer roasters. Or something. More »

    9:20 PM on Mon Nov 19 2007
    By Mike Spinelli
    2,039 views, 36 comments

    Latest by Fitty7lax: @Fitty7lax: Add to that if it goes 205mph. more »

  • speed record

    Why The Transcontinental Driving Record Should Die

    Yes, I'm well aware I may be seen by some as a contrarian voice in the chorus here on Jalopnik today. But, despite the large number of posts, I know I'm not the only one of us who has expressed some misgivings over covering the topic of Alex Roy and Dave Maher's record-breaking sea-to-sea run of 31 hours, 4 minutes. However, after reading comments from some of our readers as well as those elsewhere on the internet, I felt the need to voice some of those thoughts a little more clearly than has yet been expressed. Some may see me as wearing the hater hat, but luckily I've got thick skin, so I think I'll manage. More »
    Feature

    5:30 PM on Mon Oct 15 2007
    By Ray Wert
    18,653 views, 142 comments

    Latest by BMWCrazy: I've been around long enough to remember when 50% of race car drivers never made it to retirement because of more »

  • gadgets

    Alex Roy's Transcontinental Record: Gear Rundown

    What manner of electronic gear rests in the cockpit of Alex Roy's bicoastal Bimmer? Roll call: Lots of GPS stuff, scanners, detectors jammers, CBs, thermal camera and monitor and other knick knacks. We're not sure where he put the espresso machine or kitchen gear — but those beluga caviar canapes aren't going to make themselves. [32 Hours 7 Minutes]

    3:30 PM on Mon Oct 15 2007
    By Mike Spinelli
    7,674 views, 22 comments

    Latest by banndit: B@saabophile2: The clutch is a weak spot on that series of M5, its good Preventive Maintenance to replace it for more »

  • fast as a shark

    The Other Side of the Wind: The Trials of a Transcontinental Record

    Ahhh, the French champagne has always been celebrated for its excellence! Alex Roy doused with bubbly upon successful breaking of the transcontinental record.

    Orson Welles once spoke of "the confidence of ignorance" in terms of the beginning of both his stage and screen careers. Henry Rollins once remarked that he learned not long after he joined Black Flag that one could get away with a lot of shit if one merely acted as if it was all one knew how to do. Alex Roy simply wanted to make a lap of Manhattan as fast as possible after seeing Rendezvous. He ended up breaking a transcontinental record that stood for 23 years. More »
    Feature

    12:30 PM on Mon Oct 15 2007
    By Davey G. Johnson
    7,169 views, 9 comments

    Latest by Trackback: Filed under: Etc.Click the shot above for over 80 pics, scans and images.If you were scouring the interwebs yesterday, you more »

  • question of the day

    How Long Will Roy and Maher's Record Stand?

    In case you missed it, friend to Jalopnik Alex Roy and his co-driver Dave Maher just shattered the intercontinental coast-to-coast speed record by over an hour. Well, they did it a year ago but its the 2000s, man — you gotta wait for the statute of limitations to run out secure the book movie deals before you break something this big. As Davey G points out, Roy and Maher's accomplishment lends even more credence to your collective assertion that the E39 M5 is the greatest M5 of all. On a personal note, I'm totally proud to be laterally associated with record breaking hoon-history. Even though like the rest of the world, I was kept in the dark (Davey told me all about it last night at 2:00 am). But remember what the Romans told their conquering generals; glory fades. As outstanding as Herr Roy's achievement is, how long will the new record stand?

    12:00 PM on Mon Oct 15 2007
    By Jonny Lieberman
    1,990 views, 25 comments

    Latest by dculberson: Oh, and: the perfect car for beating this record is a 2001 Toyota Sienna. Or a 2003 Caravan. more »