50 years since Stirling Moss breaks land speed record

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Alex Kaufmann August 7th, 2007

By Alex Kaufmann Author August 7th, 2007

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December 31st, 1969 It was fifty years ago that British racing legend Stirling Moss broke the class F land speed record at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats in the streamlined MG EX181. The Class F rules stipulated that the engine had to displace between 1.1 and 1.5L. Moss reached an amazing 245.64mph in the tadpole shaped car, shattering the previous record of 203mph set by Goldie Gardner just before WW2. The EX181 was a mid-engined machine built purely for speed. The pint-sized engine featured double twin cams and a supercharger, allowing it to reach 290bhp at 7,300rpm. MG saw the marketing potential of being able to claim that it was the manufacturer of one of the most fastest cars in the world at the time. Today, the EX181 sits at the Motor Heritage Centre museum in the English Midlands.

50 years since Stirling Moss breaks land speed record

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It was fifty years ago that British racing legend Stirling Moss broke the class F land speed record at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats in the streamlined MG EX181. The Class F rules stipulated that the engine had to displace between 1.1 and 1.5L. Moss reached an amazing 245.64mph in the tadpole shaped car, shattering the previous record of 203mph set by Goldie Gardner just before WW2.

The EX181 was a mid-engined machine built purely for speed. The pint-sized engine featured double twin cams and a supercharger, allowing it to reach 290bhp at 7,300rpm.

MG saw the marketing potential of being able to claim that it was the manufacturer of one of the most fastest cars in the world at the time. Today, the EX181 sits at the Motor Heritage Centre museum in the English Midlands.

Tags: Odds and ends, Rover