Go fast

Some people are working on cars that will go 800 or even 1000 miles per hour on the flat desert of Nevada.

The rules are simple. Clock the racer through a measured mile, turn around and do it again, then average the two speeds. Mr. Shadle said Eagle would need 11 miles for each run: a mile to warm up to 250 miles per hour; four miles to light off the afterburner and get up to record speed; a mile in the speed trap; and five miles to stop. The vehicle must have at least four wheels - two of them steerable — and be back at the original start line within 60 minutes. And that’s it.

• cars