While drag racing can be traced back to the 1940s, long before the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) was founded in 1951, jet-powered dragsters didn't become a thing until the mid-1960s. That's when the FIA allowed their use for land speed record attempts.
Naturally, jet cars became the most powerful vehicles to roam the earth and set several new records at the Bonneville Salt Flats. No fewer than five new benchmarks were set in October 1964, with speeds increasing from 413 to 536 mph (665 to 863 kph) in just 25 days. The 600-mph (966-kph) benchmark was surpassed in 1965 by Crag Breedlove, while Andy Green became the first driver to exceed 700 mph (1,127 kph) in 1997. Green also became the first to break the speed of sound later that year, when he reached 763 mph (1,228 kph) in the Thrust SSC. This benchmark still stands as the absolute land speed record as of 2021. Luckily, the Bonneville Salt Flats and the Black Rock Desert aren't the only places where you can see a jet car in action. It doesn't happen very often, but they also pop up at drag racing events. The jet-powered dragster you're about to see below, called Unbridled Spirit, was showcased recently at the Kentucky Dragway in Clay City. And it almost hit 300 mph (483 kph) on the quarter-mile. But that's not the only spectacular thing about seeing a jet car at the drag strip. Everything about a vehicle like this is ridiculous. The acceleration, the speed, the smoke, the fire, and the sound are unlike anything that runs on land. This thing is so loud that you'll go deaf if you go near it without proper ear protection. And it's so fast that you might miss its incredible off-the-line launch if you blink. If that's not ridiculous enough for you, you could cook a hot dog as a jet car passes by. Don't try that though, it's dangerous, to say the least. With some dragsters actually capable of going past 300 mph down the quarter-mile, Unbridled Spirit isn't the fastest jet car out there, but it's still a breath-taking machine. Check it out in the video below but be careful with the volume knob.
Keyword: Watch a Jet-Powered, Flame-Spitting Dragster Hit Almost 300 MPH on the Quarter-Mile