WORLD RECORD, BY GEORGE!

> GEORGE POTEET’S SPEED DEMON STREAMLINER IS THE WORLD’S FASTEST PISTON-POWERED VEHICLE

THEY reckon more people have walked on the moon than have gone faster than 400mph on land. I’m not sure ‘they’ are correct about that, but either way, 400+mph land speed runs are extraordinary achievements.

George Poteet has done it more than just about anyone in his Speed Demon streamliner (pictured in 2018). In August, the 71-year-old set a new record for the world’s fastest piston-powered vehicle, with a 470.016mph (756km/h) average during the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) Speed Week on the Bonneville salt flats in Utah.

The previous record holder was Danny Thompson, to the tune of 448.75mph in 2018. He did it in the Challenger II streamliner, powered by a pair of 500ci, nitro-burning Hemis. In doing so, Thompson finished the job started by his father Mickey in 1968.

Thompson himself had taken the record from Poteet’s Speed Demon – one set it in 2012 with a 439.56mph average, running a 368-cube small-block Duttweiler Chev. That year, the team ran more than 30 passes that were over 400mph!

The overall piston-powered record is just one of the Speed Demon crew’s achievements. They also dominate the SCTA list of Blown Fuel Streamliner records. By running a variety of engines, including small-block Chev, Ls-based, flathead and four-cylinder, the team owns seven records.

Poteet and co have also claimed the annual Hot Rod trophy for the fastest car at Speed Week many times, and did so again in 2020 thanks to an exit speed of 481.5mph.

This year’s 470mph average gave the team the AA/BFS record, which was held since 2004 by Tom Burkland’s AWD streamliner, powered by twin blown Hemis. With that long-standing goal achieved, the Speed Demon team swapped out the 555cuber for a 256ci small-block in the hope of adding the E/BFS record to their tally. An internal gremlin put a stop to that, for now.

We’re hoping to do a deep-dive into the Speed Demon’s 555ci mill in the future, but in brief, it is based around a Dart Big M Mark IV iron block, a Comp Cams Top Fuel cam with a 4/7 firing-order swap and Dart Pro1 20-degree heads, chosen (among other reasons) to help the rat motor fit inside Speed Demon’s tight confines. The turbos are Precision GEN2.2 Pro Mod 88s, with a modular liquid/air intercooler, while the ECU is an Aussie MOTEC M150, tuned by Shane Tecklenberg. The combo makes 3156hp on 35psi with 17 degrees of ignition advance.