Here's another great example, the Mercedes T80: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_T80
It was designed and built in 1939 to achieve 750km/h and very likely would have if it the war hadn't interrupted its development. It had rudimentary traction control and wings that generated downforce using the ground effect!
That 750km/h design target wasn't surpassed by a wheel driven vehicle until 2001!
For good reason; _Wages of Destruction_ covers repeatedly how concerned the German government and corporations were about how much fuel Germany needed to import, which made the country more vulnerable and exacerbated their parlous foreign-exchange/currency situation. They went to the brink repeatedly and naturally, cutting down on petroleum consumption would have been very helpful.
I can't recall the source, but there are those who posit that the international spot markets mean war never need be fought over oil supply again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-ID_ktSoLY
(Part two of the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY7PIIV0nIs )
It later set a 143mph land speed record for a petrol-powered train, although it didn't exactly catch on (in no small part due to safety concerns concerning the passenger-mincer at the back). More here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schienenzeppelin