Idris Elba sets land speed record in a Bentley
By CM Towle
A Bentley Continental GT Speed driven by actor Idris Elba breaks an 88 year “flying mile” record in the United Kingdom.
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It’s called a “flying mile” in the United Kingdom and it times a car’s speed between two points a mile apart. Unlike zero to 60 tests, the driver is allowed to get the car up to speed before entering the timed zone. The previous “flying mile” speed record was set nearly 90 years ago by a custom car and it was broken this last Sunday by a production Bentley Continental GT Speed, according to a story by CNN Money.
The previous record in the UK was actually set in 1927 by a motor racing journalist named Sir Malcolm Campbell. Campbell was driving a custom Napier-Campbell Blue Bird race car. The record set was 174.2 mph. It’s amazing that it stood for such a long time.
The difference between now and then is largely the cars. The car that Campbell drove both then and when he became the first person to drive over 300 mph were custom cars. The Bentley driven by Elba was completely production, according to the company. Of course, the GT Speed does come with a twin-turbo 6.0 liter V12 engine and is capable of producing 604 pound-feet of torque and hitting a top speed of 206 mph. Elba reached 186.4 mph during the test and averaged 180.4. The eight-speed automatic transmission gives it a 0-60 time of four seconds flat. The Continental GT Speed is the fastest car ever produced stock by Bentley.
Now, you might not think this kind of supercar is for everyday driving, but guess what? It is! Bentley gave the car its usual compliment of comfort and luxury and even Top Gear reports that it’s not a scary car to drive at high speeds, which generally means it has at least decent handling and good suspension.
Even though there isn’t one body governing land-speed records, the most recent wheel-driven land speed record, i.e. a record set by a vehicle not driven with rocket or jet propulsion, is 403.10, set in a Bluebird CN7 in 1964. The vehicle was driven by Donald Campbell and set in Lake Eyre, Australia. As impressive as this sounds, take a look at the car. It’s not something you’d even recognize as a car.
A stock production Bentley that you could actually buy if you were loaded with cash is a little more exciting. Even if you never got the chance to put it through its paces.
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