Some things caught my eye in that video:
1. It was November and the salt was dry...really?
2. I am pretty sure the driver would have a "small" blind spot at intersections regarding traffic approaching from the right side!
3. That jacket was NOT an SFI 20 or equivalent!
4. The open faced helmet wouldn't get through tech!
It's fun to look back at these guys. We revere them, we put them on pedestals and admire what they accomplished...as well we should. It is funny to see what they accomplished and how dangerous it is from our perspective given the advancements in safety equipment we see today. Cool video, love to see this type of documentation, way better than looking at stills.
It was indeed November. The season went really late that year, and also in '65. Breedlove set his 600.601 mph record on Nov. 15, 1965. There was NO WAY he should have done that. Art Arfons had the record in the bag for the season. But Breedlove found a window in the weather, a tiny little window, and he pulled it off. A thing of beauty!
Regarding Art's jacket--that was his lucky leather jacket. I've got a close-up of it somewhere on my website, of Art wearing it. It's in the land speed section. You can really see clearly that it's too small for him, and the zipper's been crudely repaired. Art's friend Bud Groff gave it to him and Art always wore it. (Bud is the smallish older guy in the video with the handlebar mustache.) After Art crashed at 600 mph on Nov. 17, 1966, and survived, he said something like, "I was wearing my lucky jacket!"
