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Blue Flame

FIA flying-mile mark of 622.407 mph, Gary Gabelich, Bonneville, 23 October 1970. The kilometre figure on the same list is a different record and is not used.

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Top speed

Published as 622.407 mphPublished as 622.407 mphPublished as 622.407 mphPublished as 622.407 mph

FIA flying mile, 622.407 mph / 1001.667 km/h, 23.10.1970, Bonneville, Gary Gabelich. The kilometre record on the same sheet (630.478 mph) is not this holding.

OfficialFIA (opens source in a new tab)

In context

  • London to New York in 5 h 34 minConstant · London to New York, 5,570 km great-circle
  • 9.6× a cheetah's timed top speedSourced · Cheetah, 29 m/s. Sharp 1997, mean of three timed runs over 201.2 m
  • 3.0 football fields a secondConstant · American football field, 100 yd (91.44 m)

Worked out from the sourced figure above, which stays the ranked number.

This list

Why it's so fast

A car is fast when the force pushing it forward still beats the air, and when the tires and the gearing can use that force. A limiter is a different fact from an unlimited run.

  1. Drag and gearing

    Top speed is the balance point: thrust equals aerodynamic drag. The gearing has to still be pulling when the car gets there, or the engine falls off its power.

  2. What the sources signed

    A manufacturer claim, a magazine test and an electronic governor are not interchangeable. The measurement line says which one this page ranked.

A limited example is the Bugatti Chiron.

This is how the category works. A note written for this entry appears here once it is in the database.

Provenance

Every measurement

Claimed, measured and official figures side by side, each with its source. The ranked figure is marked.

  1. 1,002km/h622.407mph278m/s541knMach0.82Ranked figure

    FIA flying mile, 622.407 mph / 1001.667 km/h, 23.10.1970, Bonneville, Gary Gabelich. The kilometre record on the same sheet (630.478 mph) is not this holding.

    Official
    FIA (opens source in a new tab)

Reference

Specs

Driver
Gary Gabelich
Venue
Bonneville
Record
FIA flying mile

Record books

Records

  • Held the land speed record 1970–1983

    Stood 13 years

    1,002km/h622.407mph278m/s541knMach0.82

Head to head

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