NEW BALTIMORE, Mich. – The current fastest speed achieved by a vehicle on land was set in 1997.
Andy Green, a former Wing Commander with the British Royal Air Force, drove the ThrustSSC through the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, where he reached a speed of more than 763 mph -- roughly four football fields a second. To this day, the ThrustSSC remains the first and only land vehicle to break the sound barrier.
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Henry Ford’s first automobile, 1896′s Quadricycle, had two gears -- one for speeds up to 10 mph and one for speeds of up to 20 mph.
At the time, the land speed record was roughly 35 mph. Within 10 years, Henry Ford designed and drove a vehicle that nearly tripled that speed.
Henry Ford: Racecar driver?
Despite the concept of automobiles still being only a few years old, Ford was no stranger to automobile racing. At a time when cars were seen as novelties for the wealthy, Ford had an idea to mass-produce affordable and reliable automobiles for everyone. In 1901, he turned to automobile racing to generate press and showcase his engineering skills to the world.
With no prior racing experience, Ford entered a race in Grosse Pointe, where he faced off against Alexander Winton -- the most famous and successful racer in the United States. Ford won the race, although his win was credited more to the vehicle’s technical capabilities, rather than racing skill.
Through this win, Henry Ford was able to secure enough funding to form the Henry Ford Company. Ford left the company in 1902 to devote more time to automobile racing and formed the Ford Motor Company.
Following his departure, the Henry Ford Company was reorganized under Henry Leland as Cadillac.
The Ford 999
Eight years after Ford first drove the Quadricycle through Dearborn and three years after he raced in the Ford Sweepstakes, Henry Ford had a new racecar.
The Ford 999 was, more or less, just a frame with a massive engine on it. After it refused to start during a test drive before its first race, Ford sold the vehicle to Barney Oldfield, who went on to beat Winton with it in 1902.
Henry Ford bought the remains of the Ford 999 after it crashed in September 1903 and within a few months, had it up and running again and improved.
On January 12, 1904, Henry Ford drove the 999 across a frozen Lake St. Clair in New Baltimore, reaching an average speed of 91.37 mph, breaking the prior land-speed record of 84.73 mph.
“I cannot describe the sensation,” Ford wrote of the experience. “Going over Niagra Falls would have been but a pastime after that ride.”
The record-breaking vehicle resulted in more good press and investor eyes on the Ford Motor Company, which was formed only a few months prior.
The Ford Motor Company had some success in the 120 years since. You may have heard of them before.
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