In the 1960s at Bonneville, these three men battled to be the fastest on earth: Art Arfons, Craig Breedlove, and Walt Arfons. Courtesy of Scarf and Goggles, here’s an excellent video history.

As car-crazy little gearheads growing up in the 1960s, we watched the Battle of Bonneville, as it came to be known, as it was fought out in the pages of Hot Rod and the other go-fast car magazines of the era. The chief combatants in this struggle for the world land speed record included Walt Arfons with his Wingfoot Express, Craig Breedlove and the Spirit of America, and Art Arfons in the Green Monster. All three race cars were land-based missiles on wheels propelled by powerful jet aircraft engines, and from our tables at the school library we followed along,  enthralled and amazed, as the speeds on the Bonneville Salt Flats exceeded 400 mph, then 500 mph, and ultimately 600 mph.

So naturally, we were thrilled all over again when we viewed this awesome video produced in the UK by the Scarf and Goggles blog and YouTube channel. Original photos and film clips—some familiar, some we don’t believe we’ve seen before—have been skillfully assembled over expert narration that hits just the right notes, and we think you will enjoy the result just as much as we did. Video below.