Brooch

This brooch commemorates the breaking of the World Land Speed Record by the yachtsman, hydroplane champion, aviator and racing car driver Captain George Eyston (1897-1979). Eyston broke the land speed record in 1937 in 'Thunderbolt', a car which he designed, built and drove, racing at 312.203 miles per hour on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. He went on to break the record twice more in 1938. His successful attempts attracted a great deal of publicity and was commemorated in souvenir items such as tobacco cards. Time magazine described Eyston in his 1938 attempt as driving 'over the measured mile of glistening salt at an average speed of 345 m.p.h., faster than man had ever travelled on ea

Brooch · England · 1937. Platinum set with diamonds. By Unknown. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.