This Hollywood Actor Broke An 88-Year-Old Land Speed Record

Idris Elba, the British award-winning actor famous for his roles as Nelson Mandela in “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” and Stringer in the HBO Series “The Wire,” loves fast cars. He’s currently training to compete in a rally race for his upcoming show on the Discovery Channel, “Idris Elba: No Limits,” and has just eclipsed a long-standing speed record taking a Bentley Continental GT Speed to 180.4 mph… on wet sand.

Elba’s run broke an 88-year-old UK land speed record for the “Flying Mile,” set by Sir Malcolm Campbell in 1927. The run took place on the Pendine Sands in Wales, and was verified by the UK Timing Association. Campbell’s benchmark was a stout 174.8 mph, set aboard the iconic Napier-Campbell Blue Bird.

The Continental GT Speed has a theoretical top speed of 206 mph, deriving from a 6-liter twin turbocharged W-12. One can only imagine that, at 180 mph on wet sand, things were awfully squirmy for the British actor, who also starred in Ridley Scott’s "American Gangster:" Elba merely said, “It’s an honor to have taken on the challenge, and to successfully follow in the footsteps of the illustrious Sir Malcolm Campbell.”

While impressive, Elba’s run merely emphasizes Campbell’s bravery and the level of engineering achieved by the Blue Bird in 1927. The fact that a modern-day, 626 hp Bentley can only surpass the speed by 6 mph is scarcely believable; in some ways, it's saddening to see such a legendary record broken by a production car that’s festooned in quilted leather.

Sir Malcolm Campbell driving the Blue Bird to his record in 1927

In the 1920s, Pendine Sands — a stretch of beach covering seven miles —became the place for land speed record attempts in the UK, after cars began traveling faster than the day’s roads and racetracks could handle. Even today, the Sands are often utilized for record attempts, with Guy Martin achieving 112 mph in the slipstream of another vehicle while riding his bicycle in 2013.

Elba’s 180 mph run is the new benchmark from which future competitors at the venue will be judged. However, after Campbell’s speed has now finally been topped, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see others give it a crack. After all, in today’s era, you merely need a helmet, a fast production car, and a heavy right foot.