Craig Breedlove God Speed

[JBZ]

Craig Breedlove Dies - World Land Speed Record Legend Piloted 'Spirit of America'

Breedlove's first triumph was to reach 407.45 mph in 1963. Two years later, he was the first to exceed 600 mph. The legendary racer has died at age 86.

www.caranddriver.com

 

[92562]

Absolute Legend! RIP.

 

[JBZ]

Great Story

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2018/09/30/a-chainsaw-a-marriage-and-lots-of-fiberglass-how-craig-breedlove-cleared-a-path-for-the-spirit-of-america

 

[JBZ]

 

[OLDRAAT]

Rest in peace and set some more records in heaven

 

[RichL]

RIP Sir.

 

[WhatExit?]

Legend status: Achieved. Multiple times!

Breedlove's first triumph was to reach 407.45 mph in 1963. Two years later, he was the first to exceed 600 mph.

Breedlove set records at more than 400, 500, and 600 mph in jet-powered cars running surplus fighter jet engines. For a three-year period from 1962 to 1965, Breedlove battled two other great land speed racers for glory on the Bonneville Salt Flats—Art Arfons and his brother Walt. Between the three of them the records were made, broken and set again.

Breedlove's final top speed record was a blistering 606.6 mph.

While subsequent projects by other racers raised the land speed record to over 700 mph, and broke the speed of sound doing so, there may never be another time so freewheeling and downright amazing as those years in the early ‘60s on the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Breedlove started out as a hot rodder and lakes racer in Southern California. He bought his first car at age 13, a deuce coupe. By the time he was legally allowed to drive he had a ’34, which he piloted to 154 mph running on alcohol fuel on the dry lakes. By age 20 he was driving an Oldsmobile-powered belly tank at Bonneville to a record 236 mph.

He worked at Douglas Aircraft in Santa Monica as a technician in structural engineering. From that background a future in land speed racing was only natural. In 1959 he bought a surplus J-47 jet engine and got to work on what would be called Spirit of America.

 

[WhatExit?]

This write-up is worth reading...

Craig Breedlove, First to Drive 500, 600 MPH, Dies at 86

Fearless All-American land-speed racer thrived when Bonneville was the land of speed dreams.

www.autoweek.com

 

[Tom Slick]

Absolute legend. RIP Mr. Breedlove, it was a hell of a ride

 

[Hydroman55]

Ran into him at a bakery picking up a danish and coffee in Rio Vista CA where his shop was in the 90s.
True American Hero …Godspeed Craig.

 

[Ducksquasher]

God Bless...RIP.

 

[napanutt]

Ran into him at a bakery picking up a danish and coffee in Rio Vista CA where his shop was in the 90s.
True American Hero …Godspeed Craig.

I worked out of Rio Vista last few years with Caltrans. Knew he had a shop there. Didn’t know where though.

 

[old rigger]

Car actually ended up costing 250K.

RIP, what a life!

 

[Hydroman55]

I worked out of Rio Vista last few years with Caltrans. Knew he had a shop there. Didn’t know where though.

Shop was an old tractor dealership across from the Chevy dealership south side of 12.

 

[rrrr]

The man was a true legend of motorsports, an accolade he literally built from scratch in his dad's garage.

The LSR wars with the Arfons were a classic American story, ingenuity built without big budgets or detailed engineering. He was one of a kind.

RIP

 

[coolchange]

Childhood hero. And I didn’t have many.
RIP

 

[racektm]

He lived in Palos Verdes in the early 70's, I went to school with his son,

 

[WhatExit?]

 

[28Eliminator]

a true legend lost for sure.. RIP sir!

I was fortunate to grow up in the world of LSR. My dads cars and mostly his engines set 21 world records from the mid 50’s through the mid 70’s. He was there when Craig wrecked one of his cars and put it in the canal after loosing his chutes at over 500mph.. he has a bunch of pictures of it. I was still a baby then, but the memories of the cars, the names of the drivers (Arfons, Gableich, Breedlove, Teague, Freudiger, Thompson, Cobb, Vesco, Xidias, Miller..) all names I remember… heroes when I was a kid.

Sad to see them mostly all gone now.

 

[28Eliminator]

This is a great video.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=FLPuh1gcVuzBE99zQV2z80Yg