In the 1930s, Captain George Eyston set multiple land speed records, including one stunning accomplishment at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 1938, when he reached 357.497 miles per hour. The Thunderbolt, the car that Eyston drove to set this record, drew its power from 2 Rolls-Royce engines — tying the storied marque to a groundbreaking moment in automotive history.
A little more than 80 years later, Rolls-Royce is revisiting that history with a pair of limited-edition vehicles. At Autoblog, Joe Lorio reports that Rolls-Royce’s new Landspeed Collection draws inspiration from both Eyston’s feat and the landscape where he set his record.
As Lorio notes, these two cars don’t deviate much from the existing Wraith and Dawn Black Badge. In other words, these are limited to one engine apiece; much of the customization comes in the interior details and the paint used on the exterior.
The Wraith Landspeed and Dawn Landspeed include a host of details that riff on the history of Eyston’s accomplishment — including evocations of the night sky over the salt flats and homages to Eyston’s military honors. Both are extremely limited-edition, with 35 of the Wraith Landspeed and 25 of the Dawn Landspeed built — all of which have already sold out.
These two models bring together an impressive blend of performance, design and history. For fans of high-powered autos and their long history, there’s a lot to savor here.
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