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Honda Is Building A 150mph Lawn Mower

6th July 2018 12:41pm

Honda Is Building A 150mph Lawn Mower

Meet the Mean Mower V2. Capable of 150mph, Honda reckons it will regain the record the brand held for the world’s fastest lawn mower in 2014.

“Development has moved on,” says a Honda spokesman. “Engineers now use CAD design, more bespoke parts, advanced materials, and 3D printing to create a machine with almost double the power of the original.

A key part of the brief was to retain the look of a lawn mower – in this case the Honda HF 2622 lawn tractor– which it does by carrying over its front cowl, grass box and body panels. The second essential element is the ability to still cut grass, which it also still does, thanks to revisions to the cutter deck to house the chain running to the rear tyres and the two batteries required to power electric motors which spin carbon fibre blades to mow.

The engine – a 999cc four-cylinder unit taken from Honda’s high-performing CBR1000RR Fireblade SP motorcycle – produces more than 190bhp at 13,000rpm. With a super-light frame and engine dry weight of just 69.1kg, Team Dynamics engineers predict a power-to-weight ratio of 1000bhp/tonne.

The Fireblade DNA continues with several other parts including clutch, ECU, six-speed drive train and full colour LCD display. The programmable quick shift gear system promises precise and responsive shift through carbon paddles on the steering wheel – with the team estimating that this new machine could reach 90mph in first gear.

The majority of Mean Mower V2 has been bespoke designed and manufactured, with the chassis made from T45 steel rather than chromoly for durability and flexibility – vital given that it has no suspension. What to do if the airbox won’t fit under the cowl because the injectors are in the way? Simple: 3D print an airbox to fit.

With all of this raw power, a professional racer is the only choice. Enter Jess Hawkins, an experienced kart and car racer. At 23, Jess is performing as a stunt driver in the touring Fast & Furious Live show.

The original Mean Mower was launched in 2013 and became the world’s fastest lawnmower when it hit an incredible 116.575mph, at the IDIADA Proving Ground, a record which has since been surpassed.

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