Railton

Startlingly beautiful in its purity, the shape of the Railton was an almost perfect teardrop. The one-piece shell lifted off to reveal an S shaped chassis containing two Napier Lion Engines which drove all four wheels. Built by Thompson and Taylor, the Railton was ready for a record attempt in the summer of 1938, arriving at Bonneville at the same time as Eyston's new Thunderbolt . John Cobb broke the Land Speed Record in this car three times. His final record set in 1947 was 394.20 miles per hour.
Cobb set his first record in a speed duel with fellow Englishman Captain George Eyston. It took place in the summer of 1938 on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA. Eyston reclaimed the record the next day in his car Thunderbolt. Cobb regained the record in 1939, and improved it in 1947. The Thunderbolt pushed its own record up to 345.49mph before the much smaller engined Railton was the first to 350mph a few weeks later.
Cobb's record was only to stand for one day however, as Eyston took his quickly modified behemoth out the next morning and raised the record to 357.50mph. The following year, on the eve of the second World War Cobb returned to Bonneville and flashed through the measured mile in less than ten seconds to set a new figure of 369.70mph. Bonneville's salt  floods each winter so the surface varies according to the weather. This year it was bumpier than usual with soft patches and pot holes so while the Railton touched 403, the average for the two runs (and a new record) was a tantalising 394.196mph.