Contact: WorldGroup Advisory
Cheryl Georg
303.478.9734
6156 South Macon Court, Englewood CO 80111
Cheryl@worldgroupadvisory.com

May 15, 2007 - Dallas, TX – From the moment man first climbed behind the wheel of an automobile, he began looking for with new ways to move across the earth faster. Now, the fascinating journey of man’s obsession with speed can be followed through the collection of Land Speed Record Models at DFW Elite Toy Museum.com.
 
With 81 cars, the collection of 1/43-scale models is a unique journey through an often-overlooked segment of automotive history. All of the cars are either very limited edition or hand-built models, and are rarely seen individually – let alone in one showroom. They run from the 1898 Jeantaud Profilee to 1995’s Minnesota Special.
 
“We have nearly every car that has held the Land Speed Record, including the very first record-holder from 1898,” says Ron Sturgeon, owner of DFW Elite Toy Museum.com. “It is incredible to be able to see them all together and to witness how the vehicles have evolved.”
 
The first human to set a Land Speed Record was Frenchman Count Gaston de Chasseloup-Laubat, who hit the then-unheard-of speed of 39.24 mph, a speed that rivaled the full-out gallop of a horse. Laubat’s 1898 attempt to prove that automobiles were a viable alternative to horse-driven vehicles launched an eternal quest to set –and then shatter – new speed records.
 
Although every car in the museum has staked its claim in history, some are better known than others. The 1927 Napier-Campbell Bluebird is notable because it was the first car built specifically for breaking the existing Land Speed Record. Piloted by famed English driver Malcolm Campbell, the car hit 174.883 mph on the beach at Pendine Sands. Campbell set – and broke – eight more records over the next eight years.
 
Campbell’s son, Donald, followed in his father’s footsteps; more than four decades later, he pushed his Bluebird-Proteus CN7 to 403.125 mph at Lake Eyre, Australia, using a gas turbine engine to propel himself into the record books.
 
“The history of these cars is so rich and fascinating,” Sturgeon says. “To see what these drivers set out to do, to drive at speeds that were unheard of at the time, is absolutely amazing. And then, to be able to see the cars that accomplished these feats – it really is a unique aspect of automotive history.”
 
The collection of Land Speed Record models can be seen along with the other rare and antique toy cars in the Toy Museum inside DFW Elite Auto Rental at 5940 Eden in Fort Worth. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with weekend hours by appointment. In Fort Worth, call 817.838. RENT (7368); in Dallas call 214.247.4700. For more information, visit them online at www.DFWEliteAutoRental.com.
 
 
###