Editing Land speed record (section)

== History ==
[[File:STES-AEG Versuchstriebwagen.jpg|thumb|German [[Experimental three-phase railcar|AEG railcar]] in 1903: {{convert|210|kph|mph}} ]]
{{further|Railway speed record}}

Until 1829 the fastest land transport was by horse. Then, [[railway speed record]]s were set.

The first automobile record regulator was the [[French Automobile Club|''Automobile Club de France'']], which proclaimed itself arbiter of the record in about 1902.<ref name="Northey1162">{{Cite book|last=Northey |first=Tom |chapter=Land Speed Record: The Fastest Men on Earth |editor=Ian Ward |title=World of Automobiles |location=London |publisher=Orbis |year=1974 |volume=10 |page=1162}}</ref>

[[File:Rc05640.jpg|thumb|[[Ralph DePalma]] in his Packard '905' Special at [[Daytona Beach, Florida|Daytona Beach]] in 1919]]
[[File:White Triplex n041942.jpg|thumb|The [[White Triplex]] in 1928, driven by [[Ray Keech]]]]

Different clubs had different standards and did not always recognize the same world records<ref>
{{Cite book|last1=Martin|first1=James A.|first2=Thomas F. |last2=Saal |title=American Auto Racing: The Milestones and Personalities of a Century of Speed|publisher=[[McFarland & Company|McFarland]]|year=2004 |page=39|chapter=Ch 17: Land Speed Record to 1939|isbn=978-0-7864-1235-8}}</ref> until 1924, when the ''Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus'' (AIACR) introduced new regulations: two passes in opposite directions (to negate the effects of wind) averaged with a maximum of 30&nbsp;minutes (later more) between runs, average gradient of the racing surface not more than 1&nbsp;percent, timing gear accurate within 0.01sec, and cars must be [[drive wheel|wheel-driven]].<ref name="Northey1163">Northey, p.1163.</ref> National or regional auto clubs (such as [[American Automobile Association|AAA]] and [[SCTA]]) had to be AIACR members to ensure records would be recognized.<ref name="Northey1164">Northey, p.1164.</ref> The AIACR became the FIA in 1947. Controversy arose in 1963: ''[[Spirit of America (automobile)|Spirit of America]]'' was not recognized due to its being a three-wheeler (leading the [[Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme]] to certify it as a three-wheel motorcycle record when the FIA refused) and not wheel-driven so the FIA introduced a special [[wheel-driven land speed record|jet and rocket propelled class]].<ref name="Northey1166">Northey, p.1166.</ref> No holder of the absolute record since has been wheel-driven.

In the U.S. and Australia, record runs are often done on [[Salt pan (geology)|salt flats]], so the cars are often called salt cars.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}