A British team hopes to crack a 103-year-old speed record today, while driving "the fastest kettle in the world".
The aptly-named British Steam Car Team is having a go at the record set back at the dawn of motoring in 1906, when American race car driver Fred Marriott reached more than 127mph in his Stanley Rocket.
However, the Lymington-based speed merchants have also set themselves the harder goal of beating an unofficial world-best time of 145.6mph, achieved by the Steamin' Demon in 1985.
The team claims it has already burst through the official record - though in testing leading up to the big day.
Now the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) - which ratifies the record - is bringing its timing equipment along for the four days of official attempts.
At 25ft long, the car runs on Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) and is fired by 12 boilers which produce superheated 400C steam.
And the demands of the record attempt are so specific that the team had to leave the UK behind, bound for Edwards Air Force base in California, which has the seven miles of track needed to build up the necessary head of steam.
