The sensational efforts of last year have become milestones in motoring progress, and it is gratifying that each of these epochs has been marked by a British driver in a British car. For the first time 350 m.p. was achieved on land; secondly, the Land Speed Record was raised to 357 m.p.h., and thirdly—and in many people's estimation the most outstanding feat of all—Major Gardner drove an 1,100 c.c. M.G. at very nearly 200 m.p.h—and there is no doubt whatever that if he had fitted a slightly higher gear he would have surpassed the 200 mark.
Records started happening very early. In January Mercedes and Auto Union produced super-streamlined cars and endea-youred to raise the previous Class B (up to 8-litres) records, again using the Frankfurt-Darmstadt autobahn. They had been busy during the record meeting there in the previous October, after which the hon-Ours had gone to Rosemeyer, who covered the kilometre at 252.5 m.p.h. and the mile at the same figure in a streamlined Auto Union, running, of course, in Class B (8- litres). He had also set up the previous records in July of that year at 242 m.p.h.
The weather at the end of January, when the cars went out, was none too good. They even say there was ice here and there on the road, and there was a slight wind, which at very high speeds has a powerful effect.
Caracciola went down the measured kilometre with the Mercedes at 268.9 m.p.h. and averaged 268.7 m.p.h. for the mile, stepping the record up by over 16 m. using a pepped-up version of the 5%-litre Grand Prix engine in a super-streamlined car.
Eyston finally got going on August 27 and, without any bother, banged the record up to 345.2 mph. for the kilometre and 345.5 m.p.h. for the mile—an increase of no less h.|than 33 mph.!
This was stupendous. Hitherto every fraction of a second won from the maw of time at speeds over 300 mp.h. had been a problem of great difficulty, but here was Eyston calmly pushing another 33 m.p.h. on to what had been a fantastic velocity.
Eyston then bowed gracefully and stood back for John Cobb.
The Railton was what one calls revolutionary in design. It was half the weight of the "Thunderbolt," much smaller, had four-wheel drive, but only four tyres, the driver sat in the nose in a conning tower, and altogether it was a strange and, of course, completely untried vehicle. There were the usual few small troubles in test runs, and then Cobb slammed his foot down and shot down the course. When he had dene his return run he was acclaimed the first man in history to motor at 350 m.p.h. He did 350.1 m.p.h. for the kilometre and 350.2 m.p.h. for the mile.
Hardly had the applause died away than Eyston appeared again, next day in point of fact, with his "Thunderbolt" altered again in streamline. And he proceeded to add 7 m.p.h. on Cobb's figures, so that since his run in November of 1937 Eyston had piled 40 m.p.h. on to his speed. The final figures were 357.3 m.p.h. for the kilometre and 357.5 m.p.h. for the mile. The mile, therefore, stands as the world's land speed record at the moment. Comment is a bit baffled by the speeds done by these two men.
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Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.