Idris Elba Goes for a 180 MPH Drive, Breaks U.K. Land Speed Record, No Big Deal

And Bentley is proud to announce that the dashing British actor crushed the "flying mile" record in a Continental GT Speed

By Natalie Finn May 07, 2015 11:15 PMTags
Idris Elba, BentleyBentley/Discovery Channel

As if Idris Elba had to prove any further that he'd make a perfect James Bond.

The dashing British actor broke the U.K. land-speed "flying mile" record on Sunday, averaging 180.4 miles per hour and topping out at 186.4 miles per hour while driving on a beach in Wales.

While the stunt certainly seemed tailor-made for Top Gear (which will supposedly be returning to the BBC in 2016 after giving Jeremy Clarkson the boot), it was actually for the upcoming Discovery Channel series Idris Elba: No Limits.

And Bentley was of course happy to share the credit, the Luther star having crushed the previous record of 174.2 miles an hour in a Bentley Continental GT Speed.

Bentley/Discovery Channel

Bentley says that the car was not modified in any way for the test. A "flying mile" measures the top speed a car hits between two points a mile apart, but the vehicle gets rolling before it hits point A as opposed to starting at 0 mph.

That record, by the way, stood for 88 years before Elba, Idris Elba, came along.

Idris Elba: No Limits, meanwhile, will premiere in July.