Central City News: Champs make a fast visit; THINKTANK.

TWO of history's fastest men made a surprise visit to a city centre museum to check out one of the quickest-ever vehicles.

Former world land speed record holder Richard Noble and current holder Andy Green popped into Thinktank, in Millennium Point, to see the Railton Mobil Special.

The Railton smashed the land speed record three times, including setting a mark of 394 mph, which stood for 24 years - longer than any car before or since.

It was ridden by John Cobb, who died in 1952 while attempting to break the water speed record on Loch Ness.

The Railton's smooth rubber tyres were designed and made by the Dunlop Rubber Company in Birmingham, which gave the car to the city in 1955.

Richard Noble drove at 633 mph in his car Thrust 2 in 1983 to set a new world land speed record.

He said: "It's a rare occasion when both Andy and myself are together so as we were passing through Birmingham we thought it was the perfect opportunity to visit the Railton.

"This particular car is of great importance to the history of land speed records as it held the record for the longest."

Andy Green trained as a fighter pilot before driving Thrust SSC, the first car to travel faster than the speed of sound.

He set the official land speed record at 763 mph in 1997, still the fastest speed ever achieved on land.

Andy said: "It gives me great pleasure to view the The Railton up close. Until today I've only had the opportunity to study it on old TV footage. It's a privilege to be standing next to a piece of motoring history."