In 1907, Bill Rishel and his business partners were the first to drive a Pierce-Arrow automobile across Utah’s vast Bonneville Salt Flats.
After Utah local Ab Jenkins set a new endurance record by driving a Pierce-Arrow in a continuous 10-mile loop for 24 hours at an average speed of 112.9 miles per hour, the flats became the go-to spot for speed freaks looking to smash records.
Drivers descended on the flats from around the world, bringing with them custom-designed vehicles with precisely streamlined bodies and extraordinarily powerful engines.
Various classes of competing vehicles emerged, including streamliners, roadsters, and by the early ‘60s, jet-powered cars. By the time of these speed trials in August 1966, jet cars were reaching land speeds of over 600 miles per hour.
(Images: Eric Rickman/The Enthusiast Network/Getty Images, via Mashable/Retronaut)
After Utah local Ab Jenkins set a new endurance record by driving a Pierce-Arrow in a continuous 10-mile loop for 24 hours at an average speed of 112.9 miles per hour, the flats became the go-to spot for speed freaks looking to smash records.
Drivers descended on the flats from around the world, bringing with them custom-designed vehicles with precisely streamlined bodies and extraordinarily powerful engines.
Various classes of competing vehicles emerged, including streamliners, roadsters, and by the early ‘60s, jet-powered cars. By the time of these speed trials in August 1966, jet cars were reaching land speeds of over 600 miles per hour.
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| Art Arfons stands alongside his jet-propelled "Green Monster." |
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| The Hammon-McGrath-Appenfels "Redhead" streamliner #147B wins the class trophy with a speed of 331.46 miles per hour. |
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| Bert Munro works on his streamlined Indian Scout with an Alex Tremulis-designed Detroit Triumph Gyronaut X-1 in the background. |
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| The Summers Brothers "Goldenrod" C-Class Streamliner makes a run on the salt. |
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| The Hammon-McGrath-Appenfels "Redhead" streamliner #147B. |
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| The Alex Tremulis-designed Detroit Triumph Gyrnonaut X-1. |
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| The Ratliff & Zook E/Gas Roadster, which posted a 158.45 mile per hour speed. |
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| The Deeds and Saderup Studebaker, the class trophy winner in the D/Fuel Coupe and Sedan Division with 191.48 miles per hour. |
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| Neil M. Thompson's gold-metalflake painted sports car. |
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| J.R. Lufkin's #646 C/Modified Sports entry with sponsorship from Autolite and performance mods from AK Miller. |
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| The rocket-powered Wingfoot Express 2 built by Walt Arfons, propelled by the use of 35 Jet-Assisted Take Off pods. |
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| Bill and Bob Summers stand alongside their record-setting Summers Brothers "Golden Rod" streamliner. |
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| A trio of streamliners from the H- and I-classes, with Wheel Centre Company #901H at top, "The Ball Point Banana" #555 at center and "The Orange Crate" #222 at bottom. |
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| Donald Barr's H-Class Streamliner, which attained a speed of 145.92 miles per hour. |
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| The Hammon-McGrath-Appenfels "Redhead" with the engine cowling removed to expose the supercharged Hemi powerplant inside. |
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| The Larson-Cummins Streamliner, which took home the D-Class trophy for its 225 miles per hour run. |
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| The Designers International Special, "Tempest in a T-pot" streamliner campaigned by team Ron Benham and Don Hurley. |
(Images: Eric Rickman/The Enthusiast Network/Getty Images, via Mashable/Retronaut)
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