18/12/1898

Record updated

Count Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat set the world's first official land speed record.

Count Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat set the world's first official land speed record in Acheres Park near Paris: 39.245 miles per hour in his Jeantaud automobile, powered by an electric motor and alkaline batteries. The Jeantaud is widely believed to be the first automobile steered by a modern steering wheel rather than a tiller.