The Evolution of Speed: A Journey Through the Ages

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The speed of cars has come a long way since the early days of motoring. From humble beginnings to the supercars of today, the pursuit of speed has been a driving force behind innovation and technological advancements. In this article, we will embark on a journey through the ages, exploring the history of speed and the remarkable machines that have pushed the limits of what is possible.

The Early Days of Motoring

In the early days of motoring, cars were slow and cumbersome. The first gasoline-powered car, invented by Karl Benz in 1886, had a top speed of just 10 mph (16 km/h). However, as the years went by, car manufacturers began to experiment with new technologies and designs that would ultimately lead to faster and more powerful vehicles.

The First Speed Records

One of the most iconic speed records was set by Henry Soddy in 1903, who reached a staggering speed of 116 mph (187 km/h) at the Brooklands racing circuit in England. This record stood for over 30 years until it was broken by Malcolm Campbell in 1924.

The Rise of Super Cars

In the post-World War II era, car manufacturers began to create supercars that would push the limits of speed and performance. The Ferrari 250 GT, introduced in 1957, was one of the first supercars to gain widespread recognition. Its sleek design and powerful engine made it an instant hit with enthusiasts.

The Golden Age of Super Cars

The 1960s and 1970s are often referred to as the "Golden Age" of super cars. This was an era when car manufacturers were pushing the limits of what was possible, creating machines that were not only fast but also stylish and desirable. The Lamborghini Miura, introduced in 1966, was a prime example of this era's focus on performance and design.

The Modern Era

In recent years, car manufacturers have continued to push the limits of speed and performance. The McLaren F1, introduced in 1998, was one of the first production cars to reach speeds over 240 mph (386 km/h). Its lightweight design and powerful engine made it an instant hit with enthusiasts.

The Modern Super Cars

Today's supercars are faster, more powerful, and more aerodynamic than ever before. The Koenigsegg Agera RS, introduced in 2015, is one of the fastest production cars in the world, reaching speeds over 270 mph (435 km/h). Its sleek design and advanced technology make it an instant hit with enthusiasts.

The Challenges Ahead

Despite the incredible advances that have been made in speed and performance, there are still significant challenges to be overcome before a street-legal car can reach speeds over 300 mph (483 km/h). The first major obstacle is air resistance, which increases exponentially as speed increases. This means that even with incredibly powerful engines, it may not be possible to overcome air resistance and achieve the necessary speed.

The Role of Tires

Another significant challenge facing manufacturers is the role of tires. As speed increases, so does the friction and heat generated by tire wear. If a car takes too long to reach its top speed, it can lead to tire failure, which could compromise safety. Therefore, manufacturers must find ways to optimize tire performance and reduce wear.

Conclusion

The pursuit of speed has been a driving force behind innovation and technological advancements in the automotive industry. From humble beginnings to the supercars of today, the history of speed is a fascinating story that continues to unfold. While significant challenges still need to be overcome, manufacturers remain committed to pushing the limits of what is possible.

We don't know who will be the first car manufacturer to break 300mph yet but we are sure that it will be an exciting journey.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en(car engines rev)- I like going fast.(car engines rev)And you probably do too.(car engines rev)Today on Wheel House we'reasking, how fast will cars get?Humans have always had a taste for speed,well before cars were aglint in anyone's eye.The nineteenth century saw the riseof the industrial revolution and railways,and in 1829, GeorgeStevenson's rocket locomotivereached an unheard of 30 miles per hour.But by the end of the century,trains were able to reachspeeds of 120 miles an hour.That's insane.From 1894 to 1914, speedsachieved by the automobilerose exponentially, as did thecomplexity of their design.Engine layouts wentfrom one cylinder to 12,from brakes on just the rearwheels to brakes all around,from steam engines to carbureted,four cylinder internal combustion engines.The Benz Patent-Motorwagen,built around 1885,was the first car of its kindto reach a wind-whipping speed of(drum roll)Wait for it!10 miles per hour.- That's fast.- Mm-hm.- Within a decade, the steampowered Stanley Roundabout,more commonly known asthe Stanley Steemer,was lightning fast bycomparison at 35 miles an hour.As the car evolved and asspeed became a priority,what wasn't yet clear was the differencebetween race cars and road cars.Race tracks weren't really a thing yetso speed records, at least early on,had to be done on public roads.By the 1920s cars were hitting speedsof over 100 miles per hour.The Duesenberg Model J,manufactured in Indiana,hit 119 miles per hourand was followed by thecompany's souped-up SJ model,which was said to doover 140 miles per hour,helping to coin the term,it's a doozy.The first man to make a serious attemptat the 200 mile an hour barrierwas a dude named Sir HenryO'Neil de Hane Segrave in 1927.He would pilot a custombuilt land speed racercalled the Sunbeam 1000Horsepower Mystery Slugand that's what it was called.That's actually what it was called.The blood-red racer had twoair-trap engines on board,one in front of Henry and one behind.When Segrave and the Sunbeam teamtook the car to DaytonaBeach to go for the record,so many people showed up to watchthat Henry had to abort a few test runsbecause spectators were standingon the nine mile longcourse, just in the way.After police showed up to block peoplefrom being in the car's way,Henry set off pushing the carto a blistering 200.669 miles an hour.After the run, Henry pressedon the brakes to slow downbut to his surprise the intense speedquickly burned his brakes out.So he had no choicebut to drive into the ocean to slow down.I'm not lying about that.After pulling the car outand making some repairs,Henry turned around andwent for another run,this time averaging 203 miles per hour.(car engine revs)Just seven years later in 1935Sir Malcolm Campbell was the first manto break the 300 mile an hour markin his Bluebird Streamliner.The sands of Daytona weren't practicalfor such high speeds soCampbell had to go all the wayto the wide open Bonnevillesalt flats of Utahto set his record,a place that would soon becomethe mecca of land-speed racing.After World War II, hotrod culture was bustlingwith enthusiasts meetingin the deserts of Nevadaand Bonneville with the hopeof breaking world speed recordsin their own customized rides.They would drive anythingfrom road-going roadstersto completely handmadestreamliners fashioned out offighter plane fuel tanks.While men like JohnCobb and Craig Breedlovewere smashing the 400, 500and even 600 mile an hour records,things were going a little slowerback in the production car world.In 1949, the fastest car in the worldwas the Jaquar XK120 with a top speedof 120 miles an hour.While your buddy's Hyundaimight be faster today,120 in a car meant for the roadback then was very impressive.The 1950s brought the Aston Martin DB4 GTwhich hit speeds of 153 miles an hour.With all that elegance and no oneto possibly catch upin a high speed chase,it's no wonder the AstonMartin became the car of Bond.(sings James Bond theme song)(makes gun shot sound)In the 1960s and 70sFerrari was at the top spotin the fast class with itsFerrari 365 GTB4 Daytona,which reached speeds of 174 miles an hour.Followed by the Berlinetta Boxerwhich was said to be ableto reach speeds of 188.It wasn't but Ferraristill eked out its top spotas the fastest car in the 1970s.With the Berlinetta Boxera bit of a let down,and the Porsche 959 taking the placeas the world's fastest car,Ferrari felt the heat and once again,(phone rings)answered the call.In the 1980s, the Ferrari F40was the first production carto make it past 200 miles an hour,and became the super car of the decade.Probably the first super car, actually.Once that barrier wasbroken, the gloves were off.The McClaren F1 reacheda speed of 240 in 1998.The carbon fiber productioncar made 627 horsepowerfrom its BMW V12 engine,making it the fastest car of its era.(car engine revs)The Shelby SSC Aero followedand came roaring into the 21st centuryat 268 miles an hour,followed by the Hennessy Venom GTwhich holds the top spotat 301 miles an hour.Mmm, sort of.The Hennessy has claimedto go from zero to 249and back to zero in less than 30 seconds.But Hennessy has yet to confirm the speedwith the Guinness Book of World Records,so the real top spot goes to,drum roll please,(imitates drum sound)the Koenigsegg Agera RSat 278 miles per hour.To make things official,Koenigsegg asked the NevadaDepartment of Transportationto close an 11 mile stretch of Route 160where the 1,160 horsepower Agera RShit 284.55 miles perhour during its first runand 271.19 during its secondfor an average of 277.9 miles per hour.Very impressive stuff,but Koenigsegg wants more,looking square the big three oh oh.So what's holding streetcars backfrom 300 miles an hour?While cars like the Bugatti,Veyron and Chiron,Chiron, Chirone?We went on this cruise one timeand we met this chick from ASU,her name was Michon.Hennessy Venom and the Koenigseggmake monster horsepower numbers.That isn't enough to break 300.There are two very big obstacleswe need to overcome before we get there.The first being air.At low speeds, we don'tthink about this much.It's easy to cut through.But as you go past 200, itgets exponentially harderto go faster and faster,requiring more and more powerto make gains of even 20 miles an hour.The SSC Ultimate Aero made985 horses and reached 256.13 years later, the AgeraRS made 175 more horsesbut only went 22 milesan hour faster at 276.Building engines capableof that sort of powertakes a lot of know-how,especially if you wannaput it in a streetcar.But let's pretend we didn'thave to worry about reliabilityand that we built an enginecapable of 2,000 horses.(car engine accelerates)And we have a super aerodynamic,street-legal and safesuper car to put it in.Well, there's still somethingholding us back, our tires.The faster you go, themore friction and heatyour tires have to deal with.And when your wheels are turninghundreds of times per second,that's a lot of forcespulling on the tires.If you don't have good rubber under you,that's dicey.Both the Chiron and the Agera RSuse Michelin Pilot Sport Twos,which Michelin says can be pushed to 300,as long as it doesn't taketoo long to get there.If it takes more than a few minutesto go from 270 to 300,then there's gonna beway too much heat in the tireand it could be compromised.(loud tire noise and explosion)There's a pretty goodchance that we'll seea street-legal car break 300miles an hour in our lifetime.The question is, who's gonna do it?I don't know, they couldbe watching us right now.(mysterious music)(rhythmic rock beat)Hey, we make awesome stuff like thispretty much every day somake sure you don't miss itby hitting this guy right here.Oh, and hit that notification bell, too.Or if you wanna know more about tires,check out this episode of Science Garage.Be nice to each other, see ya later.Say bye, Dor. Bye, Doris. Bye bye.