Actor Idris Elba breaks historic ‘Flying Mile’ record in Bentley

Idris Elba breaks record in Bentley Continental GT Speed

Actor Idris Elba has broken the historic ‘Flying Mile’ UK land speed record set by Sir Malcolm Campbell in 1927, in a Bentley Continental GT Speed.

The star of Luther and The Wire took the car to a top speed of 180.3mph at Pendine Sands, in Wales. This broke the existing record of 174.8mph set by Sir Malcolm nearly 90 years ago in his legendary Napier-Campbell Blue Bird. The record was independently verified by the UK Timing Association.

Elba said: “I'm absolutely elated to have broken the 'Flying Mile' at Pendine Sands. It’s an honour to have taken on the challenge, and to successfully follow in the footsteps of the illustrious Sir Malcolm Campbell.”

Despite some challenging tidal conditions on the beach in south Wales, the record was broken in the Crewe-built Continental during filming for an upcoming four-part Discovery Channel series, Idris Elba: No Limits, which will air in July.