Actor Idris Elba broke an 88-year-old speed record at the Pendine Sands in Wales, reaching a top speed of 180.361 mph.
The original record of 174.8 mph was set in 1927 by Sir Malcolm Campbell, who drove a Napier-Campbell Blue Bird.
Elba broke the record in a 2015 Bentley Continental GT Speed during filming of a Discover Channel series called Idris Elba: No Limits. The series will air in July.
The Continental GT Speed features a 626 hp (635PS), 6-liter, twin-turbocharged W12 engine and an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. Bentley claims a 0-60 mph time of 4.0 seconds and a top speed of 206 mph.
The record, which was accomplished despite difficult tidal conditions in Wales, was verified by the UK Timing Association. The flying mile is a measure of one mile at the car’s top speed.
Elba is the star of Luther and The Wire and played Nelson Mandela in the award-winning Mandela series.
Watch Roman and Nathan test the 2014 Bentley Continental GTC in this TFLcar video:
