When and who recorded the first land speed record ? Extra points for what kind of vehicle.

It began on December 18, 1898, at Acheres, France, when a French count, Gaston de Chasseloup, claimed the title of fastest driver in a car, at a then-frightening speed of 39.24 mph (63.15 km/h).I would guess in a Peugeot.


Richard Noble ,I beleive still hold the present speed on-land record of 638.968 MPH.

[This message was edited by mozart56 on 09-13-02 at 10:52 AM.]

Well, the record had to start somewhere so I'd have to say Henry Ford. 100 miles per hour in a seventy-two-horsepower Ford Arrow at Lake St. Clair, Michigan, in 1904.

Did I get any of the questions right???

Compte Gaston de Chasseloup established the world's first land speed record.

[This message was edited by JerseyTomater on 09-13-02 at 10:58 AM.]

The land speed record is the fastest speed achieved by a vehicle on land, as opposed to one on water or in the air. It is standardized as the speed over a course of fixed length, averaged over two runs in opposite directions. The current record holder is ThrustSSC, which has achieved 763 mph, or bit less than 1228 km/h over one mile, breaking the sound barrier. There are also other records for specific classes of vehicle, such as motorcycles (350.884 mph) currently held by Ford Certified Pre-Owned sponsored Chris Carr, and steam-driven vehicles (145.607 mph), but this list only includes the absolute speed records for wheeled vehicles on ground, without rails. Early records predate standardization and are sometimes controversial.

December 18, 1898, Achères, Yvelines, France. Gaston de Chasseloup-Lauba, Electric Vehicle, 39.24 mph, 63.15 kph, over a i km course - Wikipedia
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However, it should be pointed out that there were other vehicles that set land speed records before this. Horse-drawn buggies and railroad trains certainly set records, and trains could definitely exceed 39 mph by 1898. Wikipedia limited its record holders in a way that the question in here was not limited.