British engineer Richard Jenkins has broken the world land speed record for a wind-powered vehicle after 10 years of research. His Greenbird car reached 126.1 mph beating American Bob Schumacher’s previous record of 116 mph set in 1999.
The Greenbird is a carbon fiber composite vehicle that uses only wind for power with the only metalwork used being the wing bearings and the wheel unit. The designers describe it as a "very high performance sailboat" but one that uses a solid wing, rather than a sail, to generate movement. Jenkins spent 10 years designing the vehicle, with Greenbird the fifth vehicle he has built to try to break the record.
Jenkins will now divert his attention to developing a wind-powered vessel able to travel on ice.