Driver who was first to break sound barrier in car sets new land-speed record

SportsCars
12 Aug 2026 • 4:13 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Driver who was first to break sound barrier in car sets new land-speed record

  • British driver Andy Green has set a new world land-speed record for a hydrogen-powered vehicle, reaching 406.320 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.
  • The 32-foot machine was developed by British equipment manufacturer JCB and propelled by twin hydrogen internal combustion engines generating 1,600 horsepower.
  • Motorsport governing body the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile officially confirmed the record-setting benchmark run.
  • Green, a 64-year-old former Royal Air Force pilot, previously set the absolute world land-speed record of 763.035 mph in a jet-powered vehicle in 1997 and was the first person to break the sound barrier in a car on land.
  • JCB engineers hope the achievement demonstrates the viability of hydrogen technology as a clean energy alternative for heavy industrial equipment.

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