The Modern Land Speed Car

This is the ’27 roadster XF/BFMR world record holder ran by Keith Tardel and pals. They were able to run a class record speed of 166mph by way of a blown flathead backed by an auto tranny and an 8″ rear. Long, low, and fast.

The interesting thing to me about modern land speed cars is the marriage between old and new. For a flathead car, Tardel’s roadster is pretty much as technically advanced as you can get. The Rex Rods chassis was built using knowledge learned from fellas that had decades of experience on the salt. The little flathead Ford power plant was tweaked, pulled, machined, and loved to the absolute point of efficiency. And then there is the modern safety equipment – tires, wheels, 200mph spec’ed roll cages, belts, chutes, fire systems, etc…

The fascinating part to me however are all the little nods to history. Who would have thought that a modern race car in 2006 would be running split bones, ’32 Ford axles, ’37-41 spindles, ’49 Merc steering boxes, and many of the same little details that race cars of the 1950’s were running? I guess that is what makes land speed racing so endearing to so many. It’s so familiar and still approachable.

You can get more detail shots of Keith’s car here.

Update: This one could be for sale. Contact Keith Tardel for more information.