What is the land speed record?

As of December, 2014, the outright world land speed record is 1,227.986 miles per hour. Andy Green achieved that speed while piloting a twin turbofan jet-powered vehicle, dubbed the "ThrustSSC," in the Black Rock Desert on October 15, 1997.

In setting this record, Green broke the record of 1,149.303 miles per hour that he had set in the "ThrustSSC" 20 days previously. Before that, a land speed record of 1,019.47 miles per hour, also set in Black Rock Desert, had stood for nearly 14 years. The outright world land speed record is measured after the vehicle has completed a 1-mile flying start. Green's current record is the first land vehicle to break the sound barrier at Mach 1.016.