back Britain falls in love with the motorcar  The fastest car in the world   Car designer Reid Railton talks about why John Cobb wanted to break the record back to story ‘I’d often wondered why a man like John Cobb, a comfortably situated fur-broker, should want to undertake an attempt on the world land speed record. These attempts entailed a sizeable expenditure of funds and time, and a great element of personal risk, with no tangible reward whatever. I imagine, the elements of sportsmanship and patriotism enter into it to some extent. In England we have always been keen on holding world speed records as a matter of national pride. But something else, too. It’s a lot like climbing Mount Everest. People do it simply because the challenge is there. Thanks to men like John Cobb who accepted the challenge simply because it was there, the world motor industry has come a long way in a very short time. I am proud to have been a small part of it.’ Recorded at Imported Cars Show, San Francisco, 1962

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