As supercar enthusiasts, we keep looking up to the Nurburgring and Nardo tracks for lap and top speed records. But it's the Bonneville Salt Flats that should get a lot more attention because that's where all the top speed shenanigans happen.
High-speed addicts have been racing hot rods at the Bonneville Speedway since the 1910s, at a time when V8 engines were barely a thing. The first land speed record was documented as early as 1935 when Sir Malcolm Campbell hit a whopping 301 mph (484 kph) in the iconic Blue Bird.
It's the place that saw Craig Breedlove become the first American to break the 400 mph (644 kph) barrier in 1963 and exceed 600 mph (966 kph) in 1965. In almost 100 years, the Bonneville Speedway witnessed several speed records being set in a wide variety of classes.
Come 2021 and high-speed enthusiasts are still setting new benchmarks on the Pleistocene-era lake. This year's Bonneville Speed Week, for instance, saw at least six important records find their way into the history books. The 18-minute video below includes all of them among other runs that saw lake racers hit more than 400 mph.
While most automakers are still struggling to hit the magical 300-mph (483-kph) mark, rockets on wheels like Speed Demon are sprinting rather comfortably beyond 400 mph. Specifically, Speed Demon managed to hit 466 mph (750 kph) in this session. J&S also reached 410 mph (660 kph) with its winged racer, while Salt Shark joined in on the fun with a 355-mph (571-kph) run.
As far as new class records go, Ferguson Racing managed 388 mph (624 kph), while Wolfe-Strasburg went home with a 361-mph (581-kph) benchmark. DRM Racing and Thundersalt 2 also set new records at 293 and 262 mph (472 and 422 kph), respectively, but you'll see a few more cars exceed the 200-mph (322-kph) mark in their quest for high-speed glory.
The lunar-like scenery, the outlandish vehicle designs, and the thunderous engine notes are just the icing on the cake. Hit the play button below to enter high-speed heaven.
