Photos: Steam Car team eyes record

If the British Steam Car team has its way, a land speed record that has stood for more than a century will fall later this month. In fact, the group reported that in trial runs today at Edwards Air Force Base in California, the steam-powered, aircraft-like car outpaced the record speed, hitting 131 mile per hour. That doesn't officially count as breaking the record, however, since representatives of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile were not on hand to certify the speed. The FIA will be in attendance for the official record attempts Aug. 18-22. Still, it was a happy occasion for the British Steam Car Team, which has endured its share of technical and logistical difficulties.