Vampire |
(1981 - 2006)
The Vampire was a turbojet-propelled car that currently holds the outright British land speed record of 300.3 mph (483.3 km/h). Vampire was 30 feet (9.1 m) long and consumed from 7 to 10 UK gallons of fuel per mile. Powered by a Rolls-Royce Orpheus turbojet engine, it could accelerate from standstill to 272 mph (438 km/h) in six seconds, a personal best set at Santa Pod Raceway. Vampire was originally constructed by Allan 'Bootsie' Herridge as one of a pair of identical match race jet dragsters in 1981. It crashed in 2006 during shooting of a segment for the television show Top Gear, severely injuring its driver Richard Hammond. Hammond did manage to beat the official British land speed record, recording a top speed of 314 mph (505 km/h). However, he did not officially break the British record as, according to the rules, two runs in different directions and an independent observer are required, Hammond crashed on his third run. In December of 2007, the damaged vehicle went up for sale as scrap on eBay UK |
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