Steam car record news - Under its own steam - 2008

There aren't many land speed records that have stood unbeaten for over 100 years. The downhill penny-farthing record, maybe, or the magnificent beard-growing record, but we're finding it tricky to verify either of these.

The steam car record, though, has stood since 1906, at a modest 127.66mph. But for how much longer? We've known about the steamy boffins at the British Steam Car Challenge team for a while now, but this is the first evidence of their giant kettle - sorry, steam car - actually moving.

OK, so the movement is fairly sedate at the moment, but the BSCC (as we like to call it) is promising much more to come. There's almost two miles of plumbing under that aerodynamic shell, and a 13,000rpm two-stage turbine powering the rear wheels. And, of course, all the power comes from lovely water. Water and lots of hotness, anyhow.

The BSCC reckons its steam car will hit a heady 170mph once, er, they've finished using it to strip all the murky old wallpaper off their office walls. All that, and it makes a lovely cuppa...