JCB, the company best known for building low-speed construction equipment, intends to set a new Land Speed Record for diesels later this year. The nine-metre long - the first car in record history to be designed entirely on computer - uses two five-litre JCB444 engines, heavily modified to produce 750bhp each, and its target speed is 300mph.

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The man behind the whole dream is JCB Chairman Sir Anthony Bamford. "I am passionate about the importance of engineering excellence to Britain," he says, "and I see using the JCB engine for this record attempt as a fantastic way of showcasing what British engineers can do.

"The JCB444 has been acknowledged as a remarkable piece of engineering, and this programme to build the world's fastest diesel-powered automobile is precisely the sort of technical challenge that we should rise to."

The record attempt will take place in August this year at what Andy Green describes as "the sport's spiritual home" - the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Ironically, although many world records have indeed been set at Bonneville, neither the Thrust SSC nor the earlier Thrust 2 runs were among them. Both took place at the Black Rock Desert in Nevada.