Maverick, land-speed record-holder Art Arfons passed away on December 3, 2007. He was 81 years old. An accomplished drag racer with his “Green Monster” dragsters, Arfons turned his attention to land-speed records in the early ’60s when he created a jet-powered version of the Green Monster.
After building his jet car on a paltry $10,000 budget, Arfons went head-to-head with Craig Breedlove’s $250,000 Spirit of America at Bonneville in October, 1964. Arfons established a new record of 434.02 mph that Breedlove, in turn, raised to 468.72. Over the coming months, the pair swapped the record back and forth until Breedlove finally set it at a stunning 600.60 mph. On November 17, 1966, Arfons attempted to beat Breedlove’s new mark, only to suffer a horrifying crash that scattered the Green Monster over four and half miles. Amazingly, Arfons was not seriously injured, but subsequently he retired from land-speed racing to eventually focus on tractor pulling.
