Idris Elba stars in “Beasts of No Nation" and "Star Trek Beyond.” (Photo : Twitter)
Days after "Furious 8" release date was confirmed by Vin Diesel, "Avengers: Age Of Ultron" actor Idris Elba broke a "flying mile" speed record kept in the United Kingdom for 90 years.
While he was not really auditioning for "Furious 8," Elba went for a drive on a beach in Wales on May 10, Sunday, and set a speed record in the "flying mile," in which the speed of a car speed is timed between two points one mile apart from each other.
Elba drove a Bentley Continental GT Speed, which helped him average 180.4 miles per hour over the full mile. As he shot past the second marker, the "Avengers: Age Of Ultron" actor scored a top speed of 186.4 miles per hour.
It was in 1927 when the last flying mile record had been set by Sir Malcolm Campbell in the U.K. In a specially built Napier-Campbell Blue Bird race car, the motor racing journalist flew past the second marker at 174.2 miles per hour.
Powered by a 626 horsepower 12-cylinder engine, the two-door Bentley has a top speed of 206 miles per hour. The one used by Elba was not modified for the test, according to CNN.
With this record, Elba appears to be highly qualified to be a part of "Furious 8," which is set to hit theaters on April 17, 2017.
It is yet to be confirmed if "Furious 7" cast Michele Rodriguez, Ronda Rousey, Ludacris, and Jason Statham are reprising their roles in the upcoming sequel.
Meanwhile, Statham is reportedly ready to propose to his girlfriend Rosie Huntington-Whiteley but there are no details yet whether the wedding date will be before or after the "Furious 8" release date, according to OK!magazine.
