Peter Holthusen recalls the challenges, dangers, disappointments, tragedies and triumphs that have characterized record-breaking attempts from the very beginning. Holthusen reconsiders the famous careers of Frenchman Camille Jenatzy and Leon Serpollet William K. Vanderbilt Jr., the Honorable Charles Rolls, Henry Ford, Barney Oldfield and Louis Chevrolet, who were among the great sporting legends of their time and he relives the more recent rivalries of a later generation. He asks why these exceptional individuals are prepared to risk their lives and their fortunes in order to become the fastest man on earth.