Top Gear’s VTR 130mph mower lives!

[Wicky]

A sharp eyed Yank spotted this!



http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/top- ... o-2013-6-4

[VTRDark]

Wow that looks like it could be good fun. All one needs is a grass go Kart circuit.

(:-})

[darkember]

That sounded sweet & I do like the air filter arrangement

[lloydie]

That rear exhaust pipe is in a bad place ! Roasted nuts anyone ?

[agentpineapple]

sounds like its got a lightened flywheel, its spinning up very fast....
i look forward to seeing it run........

[seb421]

wombles awesome, imagine if the CCT failed on TV that would be epic

imagine jeremy trying to fix it with a hammer

[Wicky]

More in BBC News article

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22784725

Honda engineers are racing to build the world's fastest lawnmower after being put up to the task by Top Gear Magazine.

They are targeting a speed of 130mph (210km/hr). That would easily beat the current record of 96.5mph claimed by the fuel additive firm, Gold Eagle.

A first look at the machine - showing flames coming out of its exhaust - has been posted online.

Honda said it had taken on the project to promote its "sporty credentials".

"The main engineering challenge stems from the need to retain the look of the lawnmower on which it is based, and the ability to still cut grass while achieving the speed and the handling characteristics required for this type of vehicle," said Peter Crolla, team manager at Team Dynamics - Honda's UK motor racing team partner - which is overseeing the project.

"To our knowledge, this has never been done before, certainly using this mower and engineer combination, and as such there are no previous learnings to draw upon."

Top Gear Magazine said it had set a deadline of 17 June for the team to complete work on the machine.

Mega-mower
The Japanese carmaker has upgraded one of its mowers by replacing its engine with one normally used in motorcycles.

A steering rack sourced from a Morris Minor car has been fitted to offer greater control, the mower's seat has been lowered, the wheels and tyres have been substituted with those of a quad bike, and the metal part of the chassis that normally holds the blades has been replaced with a glass fibre equivalent to make it lighter.

The alterations have forced the engineers to rethink how the machine cuts grass.

The original model featured metal blades, but they had to be removed as the engineers found it too complicated to connect them to the new engine.

Instead the machine now houses two electric motors with lengths of brake cable attached to them. These will spin round at about 4,000 rotations per minute to cut lawns down to size.

The team believes that, when complete, the machine should be able to accelerate from 0-60mph in about four seconds

"There's no scientific reason why we asked Honda to build this," said Piers Ward, senior road tester at Top Gear Magazine.

"The grass needed mowing and everything on the market seemed a bit slow. Why take an hour to mow a football pitch when you can do it in five minutes?"

Racing ban
In fact, racing lawnmowers at high speeds is not a new phenomenon.

The British Lawn Mower Racing Association traces its origins back to a West Sussex competition involving 80 of the machines in 1973.

Over the years, famous names including Formula 1 winner Sir Stirling Moss, Le Mans champion Derek Bell and the actor Oliver Reed have taken part in its events.

However, the organisation said Top Gear's mower would not be able to compete in July's World Championships because of strict limits on the amount of modifications entrants can make to their motors and mower bodies.

"After all the work that's been done to the machine, it isn't really a mower as such any more," said Mark Robinson a member of the BLMRA's committee.

"Mower racing is not all about power - handling is an important aspect too - and in fact we think our machines would still be relatively competitive against Honda's model on a tight track.

"But we'll still be watching Top Gear's progress with interest."

[agentpineapple]

i just noticed its running without an airbox, be interesting to find out if they can get it dialed in/fueling properly?

[gissmo50]

I've looked in to going mower racing in a lot of detail even have the chassis to build one when the current project is done the blmra mowers are quick anyway the really quick ones will do 50-60mph on the right gearing 3 inches above the floor and no suspension. This thing looks amazing.

Sent from my HTC One SV using Tapatalk 4 Beta

[Wicky]

First tests of '130mph' lawnmower

[AMCQ46]

good to see the lawnmower racing rulemakes getting picky on the rule book infringemenst...........its not F1 for feck sake

[Virt]

The high-powered motorbike engine gives the mower a 130 decibel roar - and creates flames from the exhaust.

How come this doesn't happen to our bikes then? Well, all of us except Carl on the last dyno day

[Tweety]

The high-powered motorbike engine gives the mower a 130 decibel roar - and creates flames from the exhaust.

How come this doesn't happen to our bikes then? Well, all of us except Carl on the last dyno day

fit straight pipes, with no airfilter and you get those results... It's just dumping the unburnt fuel that you need to add to make it run at all with those conditions...

[VTRDark]

Anyone noticed that the carbs are the wrong way around. And I wonder if they will block the top breather properly and take that tape off.

(:-})

[shaggy-doo]

oops looks like thay have standard cct's unless they have done the stopper mod