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A team of UK engineers has carried out the first test run in the US for its steam car which will aim to challenge the world land speed record for a steam-powered vehicle next month.

The 25-foot-long car managed to reach a speed of 77 mph in the first trial at the Edwards Air Force base in California, a similar speed to that achieved in tests in the UK.

Project manager Matt Candy said: "We were due to do a high speed return run but the gas rig had trouble refuelling and so we had to abort it. We will replace this gas pump tomorrow and resume the testing programme."

He went on: "The software has since confirmed that the vehicle produced more steam on the test run than in the UK, a bypass valve was open for approximately 1/5 of the test and the majority of the steam was wasted. This can be rectified, and knowing that it not performing to its full capacity is really encouraging news, as we can utilise the steam to generate more power than we thought we had."

The British Steam Car Team is aiming to go for the world record in the week beginning 17 August when adjudicators from the FIA motorsports federation have returned from the annual Speed Week at Bonneville salt flats in Utah.

The present recognised world record was set in 1906 when an American, Fred Marriott, achieved 127 mph in a Stanley steam car. The record for a steam locomotive on a railway is 126 mph.