Record history · FIA

Land speed record: every holder since 1965

This timeline is the FIA flying-mile outright marks whose date is printed in full on the FIA absolute world-record list. It is not every attempt since 1898. The current mark is ThrustSSC, Andy Green, 763.035 mph, 15 October 1997, at Black Rock Desert, the first supersonic record at Mach 1.016. The FIA describes the record as an average of two runs in opposing directions.

4 ratified holders

Post

Current record

1,228km/h763.035mph341m/s663knMach1.00London to New York in 4 h 32 min

Held by

ThrustSSC

Andy Green

Standing since

October 15, 1997

28 years, 11 months

Progression

Hover or tap a step to see who set it and by how much.

Ratified recordUnofficial, off the main lineDisputed or revoked

The full list

Every holder

Newest first. Unofficial and disputed runs are listed but don't count toward the record line.

1997Oct 15
ThrustSSCCurrent record
1,228km/h763.035mph341m/s663knMach1.00+20.5%
Andy Green · Black Rock Desert, USA
First supersonic outright record, Mach 1.016. The FIA also states 1227.985 km/h for this mile mark.
Standing for 28 years, 11 monthsFIA (opens source in a new tab)
1983Nov 4
Thrust2
1,019km/h633.468mph283m/s550knMach0.83+1.8%
Richard Noble · Black Rock Desert
FIA date 04.11.1983 is 4 November 1983.
Stood 13 years, 11 monthsFIA (opens source in a new tab)
1970Oct 23
Blue Flame
1,002km/h622.407mph278m/s541knMach0.82+3.6%
Gary Gabelich · Bonneville
Flying-mile figure. The kilometre record on the same list is not this holding.
Stood 13 yearsFIA (opens source in a new tab)
1965Nov 15
Spirit of America Sonic 1
967km/h600.601mph268m/s522knMach0.79
Craig Breedlove · Bonneville
Stood 4 years, 11 monthsFIA (opens source in a new tab)

The rules

What counts

The FIA outright record used here is the flying-mile average of two runs in opposing directions.
A holding is included only when the FIA absolute list prints the speed and a full date. A year alone is not enough.
The mile mark is stored in miles per hour, the unit at the head of that column. The stated kilometre equivalent is not entered as a second measurement.

Ratified by FIA.

The same sheet dates three earlier flying-mile marks. Thrust2, Richard Noble, 633.468 mph on 4 November 1983, reading the printed 04.11.1983 as day, month, year. Blue Flame, Gary Gabelich, 622.407 mph on 23 October 1970 at Bonneville. Spirit of America, Craig Breedlove, 600.601 mph on 15 November 1965 at Bonneville. A kilometre record printed beside the mile is a different distance and is not a second holding.

Golden Arrow in 1929 and Blue Bird in 1935 are named on the FIA's narrative page without a full day, so they are not given an invented date. The pre-1965 progression is absent for the same reason. Single passes from a team log are not substituted for the ratified two-way average. Checked 6 October 2026.

Spot a wrong number?

Every report is read by a person, and corrections are dated on the page.