Yahoo Autos This 50-Year-Old Streamliner Just Set a Land-Speed Record
In 1968, racer Mickey Thompson went to the Bonneville Salt Flats with an 1800-hp streamliner and a goal of trying to best his personal record of 406.6 mph. Unfortunately, the event was rained out, and the streamliner, Challenger II, never raced. Thankfully, the story doesn't end there, as Thompson's son Danny brought Challenger II back to life, and took it well beyond 406.6 mph at Bonneville this past weekend.
Thompson and Challenger II hit 450.909 mph, which, when averaged with his 446.605-mph qualifying run in the opposite direction, combines for a 448.75 mph record. That makes Challenger II the fastest piston-powered, wheel-driven vehicle in the world, beating a previous record of 439 mph.
We passed tech inspection. We’re officially the world’s fastest piston powered vehicle! Our combined record sits at 448.757mph.
- Danny Thompson (@thompsonlsr) August 12, 2018
When Mickey Thompson brought Challenger II to Bonneville 50 years ago, it had two Ford 427-cubic-inch V8s driving each axle individually. One was mounted in front of the cockpit, while the other was behind. Danny ran Challenger II with two nitro-fueled 2500-hp Hemi engines, giving the car a massive power boost. But, much of the car is as it was in 1968, including the chassis and aluminum bodywork.
Danny's story is quite poignant, too. According to Thompson's website, Mickey wanted to go back to Bonneville with Danny driving in 1988 to get the record he never managed. Tragically, Mickey and his wife were murdered outside their home, and Danny had the car put back into storage. Four years ago, Danny decided to bring Challenger II back to life, and began working towards an entry this year's Bonneville Speed Week.
With his record-setting run, we think Danny did his old man proud.
If you can’t view the YouTube video above, click here.
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