The Spirit of America Sonic I rocket car will be put up for auction

The Spirit of America Sonic I rocket car, which accelerated to almost 1000 km/h, is ready to change owners for the first time in half a century. The unique device, capable of competing with the speed of an airplane, will be put up for auction at RM Sotheby's in February. Its sale is expected to bring in up to a million dollars, auto.ru reports. Created and piloted by engineer Craig Breedlove, the Spirit of America has been upgraded several times. By replacing the engine with a turbojet from an F-4 Phantom II fighter, Breedlove was able to increase the rocket car's speed to almost 1000 km/h. The original goal of the project was to break the sound barrier, but the Spirit of America was unable to do so. It was not until decades later that another rocket car, the Thrust SSC, was able to achieve this goal. The Spirit of America will be one of the lots at an auction organized by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum. In addition to the legendary rocket car, a rare Ferrari 250 LM, valued at $26 million, will also be put up for auction.