55 years ago, on 5 September 1956, gas turbine car Renault Etoile Filante set a world speed record - 308,9 km/h Renault Etoile Filante before establishing a world record, the Idea of the car was not in the company of Renault and the factory of aircraft gas turbine engines Turbomeca, whose founder Joseph Szydlowski was concerned about the extension of the scope of their products. To this end, he appealed to President Pierre Renault lefoshe. Lefoshe caused chief designer Fernand Picard, digitalist albert Laurie, investigator Jean Hebert. French Alouette helicopter was equipped with the same engine that Renault and record They decided to install on a truck chassis engine TT used on helicopters Alouette. It was a turboshaft engine, developing 270 HP at 28000 rpm It was placed in the tail part is very compact (length 4,84 m, width of 1.81 m, height 0,99 m) and light (weight 950 kg) machine. The Device Renault Etoile Filante. The exhaust gases from the turbine is strictly perpendicular to the axis of motion, for an experiment that heated air is not created additional reactive effect At its base lay a tubular frame covered with a shell of "polyester" (i.e., fiberglass). The car was the romantic name of "shooting star" or "Comet". Jean Hebert driving Etoile Filante during test runs on the track of Moniri, 1955 After several trial races in France, on the track of Moniri, a group of specialists Renault, headed by Jean Hebert, went to the United States, in Utah, where on a perfectly flat surface of a dried-up salt lake Bonneville (Mecca explorers speed records) in the first race with and against the direction of the wind set a world speed record in the class of vehicle curb weight up to 1000 kg - 308,85 km/H. Jean Hebert - record. A photo to remember This achievement was beaten in 1963 Moscow champion Ilya Tikhomirov with the car "pioneer-2M" on the salt lake Baskunchak (310,280 km/h). Dual stabilizers in the rear part of the car