It's not often we get the chance to drive a World Land Speed Record breaker. But Autocar is about to do just that - if the extraordinary looking vehicle you see here lives up to its promise.
The amazing Windjet Land Craft has already broken the British record and in the next few weeks is set to join the likes of Golden Rod, Bluebird and Thrust SSC on the world stage. Admittedly the speeds won't be quite so outrageous - a peak of 117mph in one direction only is all that's required to set the record - but given that it doesn't have an engine, it's nothing short of sensational. Windjet is a very special land yacht. It's designed to smash the wind-powered speed record, first on wheels and then on ice, and is the most advanced craft of its type ever built.
To find out what it feels like to drive at 100mph using nothing more than wind to power you, we joined the team at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire for a crash course in land yachting.

DESIGN & ENGINEERING
The story of Windjet began 10 years ago when two sailing enthusiasts, Bill Green and Peter Whipp, went on a cycling holiday in the Hebrides. Chancing upon a huge expanse of sand, they hit upon the idea of creating a composite land yacht. A few months and many beers later the dream had progressed into a full-blown attempt at the wind-powered speed record.

The vehicle they designed with the help of aeronautical engineer James Labouchere is as far removed from a conventional land yacht as an F1 racing car is from a Mini. In fact, Windjet has more in common with F1 cars and aeroplanes than with anything you'll find sailing along a beach in North Wales. Like Schumacher's Ferrari, the Windjet uses a light and extremely rigid carbon fibre monocoque. This houses a single front wheel up front and a reinforced survival cell for the driver.
Intersecting this monocoque is a carbon fibre cross beam from which hang the two ex-Lola ChampCar wheels and tyres. The third and most vital element of the jigsaw is the huge carbon fibre aerofoil which sticks 7.3m up into the air like the overgrown tail fin of a jet fighter. The comparison isn't so very far off the mark since this aerofoil uses the same scientific principle as an aircraft wing to generate up to 1.5 tonnes of thrust. The difference is that it uses the air flowing over its opposing surfaces to generate lateral force rather than upward lift.

The really clever bit, though, is how this sideways force is turned into forward propulsion - at anything up to six times the prevailing wind speed - rather than simply toppling the craft onto its side.
Land yachts with conventional sails perform best with the wind slightly behind them. The weight of the steel chassis keeps the wheels on the ground while the grip of the tyres acts like a boat's keel, preventing the craft slipping sideways and forcing it forwards instead.
The Windjet, by contrast, runs best with the wind blowing directly from the side. This enables the aerofoil to take advantage of both the true wind blowing from the side and the wind it feels from moving forward through the air. These combined winds create what is known as the 'apparent wind', which blows harder and harder the faster the craft travels.
The final ace up its sleeve are the two adjustable stub wings enveloping the crossbeam. They act like the rear wing on an F1 car to create down force where it is most needed and replace unwanted weight. The end result is a vehicle that weighs just 400kg but is capable of generating up to 1200kg of down force
A super slippery shape gives it a drag coefficient of Cd 0.02 - and looks that really mean business.
THE LIGHTEST, MOST ADVANCED LAND YACHT EVER BUILT