SONIC 1 SPIRIT of AMERICA

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Despite Breedlove's confirmed speed in Spirit of America, John Cobb's record still stood, that is, for motor-driven 4-wheeled vehicles.  Breedlove's land speed record was, however, recognized by the United States Auto Club, which had established a new class for wheeled jet-propelled land vehicles, and by the international motorcycle body, Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, as a world record for 3-wheeled vehicles.

Craig Breedlove - smiling typically

In August 1963, Breedlove's confidence and hard work paid off.  Then in 1964 Art Arfons came on the scene with his Green Monster.  Craig instantly began building an all-new Spirit of America - Sonic I car with four wheels and powered by a larger, more powerful J79 jet engine. He was ready to go after Arfons record again in 1965. When he drove his new car 555 mph in November, the ever-faster land speed record was traded once again between Breedlove and Arfons. A week later, Arfons reappeared and went 576 mph. Then, later in the season than anyone had ever attempted at Bonneville, with freezing rain water standing on parts of the course, a determined and focused Breedlove became the first ever to drive through 600 mph, with a new Unlimited World Land Speed Record of 600.601 mph.

Hence 1965, became a banner one for land speed racing with six new records set in quick succession, five in October alone. Two of those belonged to Breedlove, one taking the record from fellow American Art Arfons and yet another another breaking his own record two days later by almost 40 mph.

The record of 600.601 made Breedlove the first man to break the 400, 500 and 600 mph barriers on land. 

The last time the record had been broken six times in a year was in 1904, one of those records being set by Henry Ford on a frozen Michigan lake.  The land speed record was shattered 11 times from 1963 to 1965. We may never see such a rapid rise in land speed records again--over 200 miles per hour in just 28 months.

Arfons was never able to better that speed. After Breedlove retired his "Sonic I", he set a number of long-distance speed records for American motors, driving AMC passenger cars. His historic 600.601 mph record stood for five years until, in 1970, another American from Long Beach, Calif., Gary Gabelich, went 622 mph in the Gas Co.'s "Blue Flame" rocket car. That World Land Speed Record would stand for the next 13 years.  The Sonic I car is now on special loan to the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

The hype machine went into overdrive as rival tire and oil companies vied to have their logos affixed to record-breaking cars. Breedlove was quickly challenged, and for the next two years traded records back and forth with rivals Tom Green and Art Arfons. But by the end of 1965, sponsors' interest waned as national attention turned to grander spectacles like the Apollo space program.

During the 1970's, Craig campaigned a rocket dragster powered with a lunar module motor fueled by hydrazine. This led to this consideration of a new rocket-powered land speed record car, but U.S. government restrictions on the use of rocket engines and fuels became too stringent to successfully continue the program, and he had to abandon his rocket car project in the mid-1980s. The full-size, 41 foot mock-up for that intended rocket car is now exhibited at various museums and is the design forerunner to his newest Spirit of America land speed record car.

Britain's Andy Green has held the current record of 763 mph since October of 1997. Breedlove plans to reclaim the record soon with a run of 800 miles per hour in his snazzy good looking Spirit of America 3.

Date of Birth:  3/23/1937  Find on Amazon:  Craig Breedlove

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