THE oldest land-speed record of them all has finally fallen. Last week, a British team pushed their steam-powered car to an average speed of 225 kilometres per hour over two runs of 1 mile. It’s good to see steam cars making a comeback, but this world record won’t do much to get them back on the road for real. So spare a thought for the previous record holder, Fred Marriott. For 103 years his name has been the one fixed and familiar point in the ever-shifting pantheon of speed records. Romantics might wish the British team hadn’t bothered.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New ¾«¶«´«Ã½
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Physics
Toy universe shows that time could be a quantum illusion
News
Life
Dramatic photo of ibis being guided to their winter homes wins award
Regulars
Space
The one film to watch before seeing Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day
Culture
Health
Ditching cigarettes for vapes may curb the cancer benefits of quitting
News
Popular articles
Trending New ¾«¶«´«Ã½ articles
1
Fully autonomous drones have killed human soldiers for the first time
2
Millions of fossil whale bones found in deep-ocean ‘necropolis’
3
What is a ‘normal’ memory slowdown, and when should I worry?
4
A cosmic case of mistaken identity that can only be solved right now
5
Ditching cigarettes for vapes may curb the cancer benefits of quitting
6
New ¾«¶«´«Ã½ recommends a brilliant take on the evolution of birds
7
A nuclear war between India and Pakistan could destroy the ozone layer
8
Mysterious ‘cold blob’ in the Atlantic suggests the AMOC is weakening
9
Why we should all take quantum physics extremely personally
10
Unpicking endometriosis reveals how it affects more than the pelvis
