Arthur Eugene Arfons was the world land speed record holder three times from 1964 to 1965 with his Green Monster series of jet-powered cars, after a series of Green Monster piston-engine and jet-engined dragsters.
20 Facts About Art Arfons
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Art Arfons subsequently went on to field a succession of Green Monster turbine-engined pulling tractors, before returning to land speed record racing.
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Art Arfons was announced as a 2008 inductee in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame three days after his death.
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Art Arfons' father, Tom, was born in Greece and came to the United States at age 14.
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Art Arfons settled in Akron, Ohio, where Art was born.
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Arfons' family operated a feed mill in rural Ohio, where the Arfons brothers exercised their mechanical skills and ingenuity.
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Art Arfons was sent to diesel mechanic school, then assigned as a mechanic to a landing craft in the Pacific Theater.
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Art Arfons participated in two battles including the invasion of Okinawa, and then was discharged after three years, as a Petty Officer Second Class.
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Art Arfons returned to Ohio, was married, and had two sons and a daughter.
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Art Arfons' path led almost inevitably to land speed record racing at Bonneville, first in 1960 with the "Anteater", a car modeled after John Cobb's "Railton Special" and powered by an Allison V-1710 aircraft engine.
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In 1962, Art Arfons began experimenting with jet-powered cars, where his innate mechanical skills proved tremendously useful.
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In deference to the car's less-than-excellent aerodynamics, Art Arfons introduced another innovation: It was the first land speed record car to utilize a wing to produce downforce to prevent the car from becoming airborne.
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Art Arfons returned to Bonneville in 1964 with another Green Monster.
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Art Arfons held the world land speed record three times during the closely fought competition of 1964 and 1965, but after a bad crash in 1966 at 610 MPH, the fastest crash ever survived, turned his attention to jet turbine powered tractor pulling competition where he was, as usual, successful.
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On October 16,1971, while making an exhibition run at the Dallas International Motor Speedway in Lewisville, Texas, Art Arfons lost control of his radical jet-powered vehicle, resulting in the death of three people.
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Art Arfons was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas and released shortly afterward.
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Art Arfons was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America and the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame "Hall of Fame Inductees", International Motorsports Hall of Fame, National Tractor Puller Association Hall of Fame, and the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame.
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Art Arfons is a three time World Land Speed record holder.
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Art Arfons held the Unlimited Drag Racing Record and was a champion Tractor Puller.
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Art Arfons died on December 3,2007, in Springfield Township, Ohio, at the age of 81.