page_title: Craig Breedlove
section_title: Endurance and speed records for AMC
hierarchical_section_title: Craig Breedlove / Endurance and speed records for AMC
caption_attribution_description: English: A 1968 magazine advertisement for Champion Spark Plugs promoting the new Breedlove speed records set with the American Motors' AMX. The ad is promoting the event, the champion vehicle, and the spark plugs. It serves as an example of the extra publicity the new for 1968 AMX automobile. The image was freely provided with the intention that it be distributed to the public.
context_page_description: Craig Breedlove is an American professional race car driver and a five-time world land speed record holder. He was the first person in history to reach 500 mph, and 600 mph, using several turbojet-powered vehicles, all named Spirit of America.
context_section_description: Craig Breedlove was put on the payroll at American Motors Corporation (AMC) in 1968 to prepare the automaker's pony and high-performance cars, the Javelin and the AMX, for speed and endurance records.
  In January 1968, one month before the official introduction of the AMX model, Breedlove, his wife Lee, and Ron Dykes, established fourteen United States Automobile Club (USAC) and Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) certified speed records for cars of any engine size, and 106 national and international speed and endurance records for cars with less than 488 cu in (8.0 L).
  Two cars were prepared for the endurance speed runs on a five-mile banked track in Texas. The shattered records included a Class C AMX (the No. 2 Lee Breedlove car) with the standard 290 cu in (4.8 L) AMC V8 engine (bored to 304 cubic inches) with 4-speed manual transmission, achieving a 24-hour average of 140.79 mph (226.58 km/h) that was set by Craig and his wife Lee. New records in a Class B AMX (the No. 1 Craig Breedlove car) using the optional 390 cu in (6.4 L) "AMX" V8 (397 cubic inches) with a 3-speed automatic transmission, that included a 75-mile (121 km) distance with a flying start at 174.295 mph (280.501 km/h), as well as a 173.044 mph (278.487 km/h) over a 100-mile (161 km) distance from a standing start.
  After the cars were displayed at the Chicago Auto Show in February 1968, Breedlove took the AMX to Bonneville. He established a USAC sanctioned record of 189 mph (304 km/h) as well as an unofficial run of over 200 mph (320 km/h).
  Later in the year, American Motors entered three similarly equipped Javelins with 343 cu in (5.6 L) AMC V8 engines featuring Edelbrock cross-ram intake manifolds and special cylinder heads, in the C/Production class at Bonneville. During November 1968, the "Speed Spectacular Javelin" run by Breedlove was fastest, reaching 161.73 mph (260.28 km/h) establishing a speed record that stood for a number of years.
caption: An ad promoting Breedlove shattering speed records in a production AMC AMX
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