From Thor, our member in Germany, comes the sad news that World Land Speed champion Craig Breedlove of California has died at age 86.

When I was a teenager (yes, you can picture dinosaur corpses, Wooly Mammoths and Saber Tooth Tigers) Breedlove was a champion of my generation, becoming the first man to reach 400, 500 and 600mph on the surface of the planet. His jet-powered lakebed land-rockets "Sonic -1" and "Spirit of America" looked like grounded fighter jets, and exceeded the speed of 80% of all aircraft then-flying during 1962, '63 and '64. He set, then broke, 5 Land Speed Records, becoming the "Fastest Man on Earth" 5 times.

I remember staying up late one night to watch Breedlove's guest appearance on the Steve Allen Show. A missed plane connection and heavy LA traffic caused him to arrive on-screen late; Steve Allen made the joke that he was "The Fastest Man on Earth, and still can't get here on time". It made the news the next day, and coined the term "Fastest Man on Earth".

Breedlove's career was fraught with challenges by other American Land Speed Record racers Art Arfons (Green Monster) and Gary Gablich (Blue Flame Special),
and by British LSR racers Richard Noble (Thrust-2) and Andy Green (Thrust SSC).

An incident during Breedlove's second World Champion LSR drive made him a household name; after breaking the 500mph barrier for the first time (a monumental achievement in 1964), Craig's parachutes failed to open. At that speed his token brake system went up in smoke trying to stop the car before it literally ran out of room at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Slicing itself thru a row of telephone poles, the Spirit broke into several large parts which tumbled over 8 miles. The enclosed cockpit ran into the only lake in the immediate area. Breedlove was strapped in, underwater, with the only help nearly 12 miles away. They reached him just as he managed to open the canopy and swim ashore. With the cameras rolling he climbed up on the wreckage, smiled, and boasted, "For my next act I will set myself on fire!". He became America's sweetheart overnight.

Thor, as you all know, is a popular television personality in Germany. His shows center around automotive history and unique cars, which the German population loves. During our Covid years, Thor managed to complete an excellent Land Speed Record history lesson involving the accomplishments of men (and women) from several countries. In America he managed to interview the survivors of several Land Speed Record holders who shared their memories and memorabilia. The only racer left alive at that time was Breedlove, but he was suffering from dementia and his manager wanted a prohibitive amount of money to let Craig be interviewed. Craig died of cancer in April 2023.

(Here's the crash video. Adrenalin is weird stuff!):
https://youtu.be/I1zyFATEyoQ

Altho it isn't mentioned in the video, Craig's "accomplishments" that day included a few Guinness Book of World records: The longest skidmarks ever left by a land vehicle; the longest leap ever made by a land vehicle, and, altho it doesn't seem to have occurred to anyone, that has to be the fastest collision ever survived in automotive history!

Farewell Craig Breedlove; you were one of a kind.

Frank T

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1970 240Z