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Speed Demon (car)

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Speed Demon at Bonneville in 2010

Speed Demon is a land speed racing car built in 2010 by Ron Main for George Poteet.

In September 2010, George Poteet made a serious attempt to break the flying mile and flying kilometer record for piston-engined wheel-driven cars. Speed Demon is powered by a 299 cu in (4,900 cc) aluminum block 'Hellfire' V8, built by Kenny Duttweiler.[1] Their effort was thwarted by a number of parts failures. The team stated their intention to return in 2011 to set a record over 450 mph (724 km/h), and at the 2011 Bonneville Speed Week, Poteet achieved 426 mph (686 km/h) [2]

After making "the fastest piston engine pass ever",[3] turning in a two-way average of 437.183 mph (703.578 km/h).[4] (Because this was not done within the two-hour limit demanded by FIA, the record is not considered official.)[5]

In 2012, Speed Demon set an official record at 439 mph (707 km/h).[6]

Speed Demon was displayed at the 2018 Detroit Autorama.[7]

Poteet intended to attempt the absolute record for wheel-driven cars, currently held by Don Vesco’s Turbinator, but died on July 16, 2024.[8]

Notes

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  1. ^ "Speed Demon". Cameltoe.net. 2010-09-15. Archived from the original on 2010-10-19. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
  2. ^ Squatriglia, Chuck. "This is what 426 mph looks like." Autopia. Wired, August 24, 2011
  3. ^ Landspeedevents (retrieved 3 January 2019)
  4. ^ Racecar-Engineering.com (retrieved 5 January 2019)
  5. ^ http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news/speed-demon-smashes-land-speed-record/ Racecar-Engineering.com] (retrieved 5 January 2019)
  6. ^ Science Alert (retrieved 5 January 2019); [https://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/news/a9366/new-world-speed-record-for-a-piston-engined-car-439-mph-38899/ Road and Track online (retrieved 5 January 2019)
  7. ^ Classicarnews.com (retrieved 3 January 2019); Detroit News online (retrieved 3 January 2019)
  8. ^ Racecar-Engineering.com (retrieved 5 January 2019)
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