Wheel-driven land speed record

The wheel-driven land speed record differs from the absolute land speed record in requiring that the vehicle be wheel-driven; thus, jet engine and rocket propelled vehicles are ineligible.

Until 1963, the absolute land speed record holder was always a wheel-driven car. The first jet-car to exceed the absolute record was Craig Breedlove's Spirit of America. Since then, no wheel-driven car has held the absolute record.

There is no "wheel-driven" category as such. The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile validates records in a variety of classes, of which the "wheel-driven" classes are in Category A (Special cars) and Category B (Production cars). The accepted record is fastest average speed recorded over one mile or one kilometer with a flying start, averaged over two runs in opposite directions within one hour of each other. The most recent Wheel-driven" record holders have been from a variety of different classes within Category A.

Since 1963, holders of the wheel-driven land speed record have been:

Date	Location	Driver	Vehicle	Power	Speed over 1 km		Speed over 1 mile		Notes
					mph	km/h	mph	km/h
September 16, 1947	Bonneville Salt Flats, USA	John Cobb	Railton Mobil Special	IC	393.82	633.79	394.19	634.39	First 400 mph (640 km/h) pass
July 17, 1964	Lake Eyre, Australia	Donald Campbell	Bluebird CN7	Turboshaft	—		403.10	644.96	FIA's official absolute record-holder till a change in the rules in December 1964 made jetcars eligible.
November 13, 1965	Bonneville Salt Flats, USA	Bob Summers	Goldenrod	IC	—		409.277	658.526	Still the non-supercharged piston-engine record Group II, Class 11: 2 or 4 stroke engine without supercharger, cylinder capacity > 8000 cm³
August 21, 1991	Bonneville Salt Flats, USA	Elwin "Al" Teague	Spirit of '76 (Torque Speed-o-Mative Streamliner)	IC supercharged hemi	425.050	684.052	409.978	659.796	Still the piston-engined record Group I, Class 11: 2 or 4 stroke engine with supercharger, cylinder capacity > 8000 cm³
October 18, 2001	Bonneville Salt Flats, USA	Don Vesco	Vesco Turbinator	Turboshaft	458.196	737.395	458.444	737.794	Group IX, Class 3: Turbine engine, unloaded weight > 1000 kg

See also

• Land speed record
• List of vehicle speed records