fastest speed by a vehicle indoors split image of driver and during the attempt

Driver Leh Keen (USA), with the help of Porsche, has broken the record for the fastest speed achieved by a vehicle indoors - a record which hasn't been broken since 2013. 

Leh reached a staggering speed of 165.20 km/h (102.65 mph) at the New Orleans Convention Center, in Louisiana, USA.

@guinnessworldrecords

Fastest speed achieved by a vehicle indoors: 165.20 km/h (102.65 mph) by Leh Keen & @porsche ⚡️

♬ original sound - Guinness World Records

He drove an all-electric Taycan Turbo S Porsche, which has a maximum of 750 hp, with four wheel drive to maximize grip, powerful carbon ceramic brakes and the ability to accelerate to 60 mph from a standstill in just 2.6 seconds. 

It is this acceleration and deacceleration feature that meant this car was the perfect vehicle for attempting this indoor record - when you're speeding towards a wall at over 100 mph, speedy braking is essential! 

The record guidelines state that the car must be at a standstill at the attempt's start and finish and of course, the entire attempt must take place indoors.

Taycan Turbo S parked before attempt

Finding a building big enough to accommodate such a record attempt was a challenge in itself.

After some searching, Porsche selected the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. 

The convention centre has an area of over one million square feet, and is the largest contiguous exhibit hall in the United States. 

In terms of scale, the building was perfect - but the polished concrete floor provided an unforeseen complication.  

Taycan Turbo S from the side during Indoor Speed Record

"I didn’t really appreciate the scale of the record attempt until my first exploratory run. The surface is so unpredictable, so slick, that you have to have complete trust in your car," Leh explained.  

"It truly was like ice – and you’re accelerating flat out, facing a really hard wall at the end. Suddenly, even in a massive space like the one we had, it seems very small.

"To accelerate so hard on such an erratic surface was incredible. Not for a moment did I doubt I could do it."

Leh Keen posing with Taycan Turbo S before attempt

Incredibly, the record was broken on Leh's first ever attempt. 

"The sensation of speed indoors, even in such a big space, is enormous – that wall rushed up fast. Of course, I didn’t look down at my speed so it came as a surprise and a relief that I’d beaten the record, and by such a margin. It was a rush! I’m thankful for Porsche for trusting my abilities and for their preparations and encouragement – 102 mph inside a building. What was I thinking?” - Leh Keen

The fastest speed achieved by a vehicle indoors record had remained unbroken since 2013 at a speed of 140 km/h (86.99 mph). 

This record was held by Mikko Hirvonen (Finland) driving a Speed Car XTRM Crosskart (Spain) at the Helsinki Expo Centre, Helsinki, Finland, on 25 February.

More records broken by Porsche: