Not only did Rollie Free set the world speed record for a motorcycle back in 1948—he looked darn good doing it.
The key to setting the record for Free was cutting down on wind resistance. So when the 47-year-old accelerated his Vincent HRD Black Shadow, he positioned his body to be as horizontal as it could. Also, he wore only swim trunks as he whipped across the hard pack of the Bonneville Salt Flats. His plan worked to perfection, setting a record of 150.313 miles per hour.
The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame calls the picture of Free’s record-setting ride “one of the most famous photos in the history of the sport.” LIFE staff photographer Peter Stackpole’s image of Free is also one of the most popular prints in the LIFE photo store.
In LIFE’s coverage of the event the magazine actually used a different photo, taken from a wider angle. That shot is majestic in its own right, giving more emphasis to the Utah landscape and also the black line that had been painted on the ground for Free to use as a guide.
All the shots in this gallery have their charm. The ones of Free’s friends giving him a push as he started out are pretty classic. The details in Stackpole’s photos are evocative of their era, from Free’s everyman physique to the media coverage of the speed record being dominated by still photography.
Free’s record has long since been broken. The current mark of 376.363 miles per hour was set in 2010 by Rocky Robinson—once again in Bonneville. While in 1948 Free rode a conventional-looking motorcycle, Robinson set his mark in a vehicle that looks more like a two-wheeled car, down to its encased cockpit. This meant that Robinson had no need to strip down to a bathing suit and position his body at an exotic angle, or do anything else that would result in a photo for the ages.
Rollie Free getting ready to break the motorcycle speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, 1948.
Peter Stackpole/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Rollie Free getting ready to break the motorcycle world’s speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, 1948.
Peter Stackpole/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Rollie Free getting ready to break the motorcycle world’s speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, 1948.
Peter Stackpole/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Rollie Free accelerated as he readied to break the motorcycle world’s speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, 1948.
Peter Stackpole/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Photographers captured Rollie Free breaking the motorcycle world’s speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, 1948.
Peter Stackpole/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Rollie Free, laying horizontally on his bike to reduce wind resistance, broke the world’s speed record for a motorcycle at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, September 13, 1948.
eter Stackpole/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Rollie Free breaking the motorcycle world’s speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, 1948.
Peter StackpoleLife Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Rollie Free on the day he broke the motorcycle world’s speed record on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, 1948.
Peter Stackpole/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
