Saturday 27th August 1938

Captain George Eyston established a new land speed record of 345.49mph when he sailed over the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in the Rolls-Royce-powered Thunderbolt. The land-speed trials have been held at Bonneville annually since 1903, serving as a test of automotive technology and proof of climbing speeds. Captain Eyston’s record was especially memorable, for it was one of the few years that the record was not held by Malcolm Campbell, who dominated the trials for almost 30 years.