Eight wheels, weight measured in tons, twenty-four different cylinders from two Rolls-Royce R-type V-12 normally reserved for racing aircraft, and over 4,600 horsepower on tap sounds like the start of beastly air racer or maybe a World War II aircraft of some type. You would be wrong…in-between World War I and World War II, George Eyston was one of many men who were hell-bent on claiming the top-tier land speed record. Eyston was a racer since a boy, having raced motorcycles under a pseudonym. After World War I, he started using his actual name and went nuts racing, running in road races and the 1921 and 1926 French Grand Prix. But his real kick was for land-speed racing. Between 1933 and 1939, Eyston was a regular at locations like Brooklands and Bonneville.

His most prominent race car was “Thunderbolt”, the eight-wheeled, twin-engined monster. The twin steer axles up front utilized different track widths as to avoid ruts in the salt, while the rear dual wheel axle was turned via one of the most trick transmissions made up to that point in time. Then…it was gone. What happened to this radical land-speed machine? Hit play below to find out more…

(Thanks to JamesDFO for the tip!)