The land speed record was set on October 15, 1997, by Andy Green, a British fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force. On Black Rock Desert, a dry lake bed in northwestern Nevada, Green's TurboSSC jet-propelled car reached a speed of 763.035 miles per hour, making him the first driver to reach supersonic speed (761 mph) and break the sound barrier.
Green broke his own record of 714.144 miles per hour, which was set on September 25, 1997. The TurboSSC is powered by two after-burning Rolls-Royce Spey engines -- the same engines used in the Phantom jet fighters Green flew for the RAF. The jet engines powering the TurboSSC burn 4.8 gallons of fuel per second and get about 0.04 miles per gallon.
