Land Speed Record of 180 Miles Per Hour Set At Daytona Beach In 1922

By  //  May 11, 2019

Florida Historical Society SPOTLIGHT

Sigurd-Olson-580-1
Sig Haugdahl shakes hands with Mayor Bailey at Daytona Beach in 1922. (State Archives of Florida image)

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Sigurd Olson “Sig” Haugdahl broke the land speed record at Daytona Beach in April 1922.

Sig reached a speed of 180 miles per hour in a car he built named the “Wisconsin Special.”

The car had an 836 cubic inch, 6-cylinder airplane engine capable of producing 250 horsepower.

Although Sig’s world record-breaking run was widely publicized and recorded, the American Automobile Association did not recognize the new record because they did not have any officials from their organization present at the time of the run.

Haugdahl went on to help build one of the first road courses at Daytona Beach in the 1930s.

– Florida Historical Society

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