Ever wondered what would happen if you shoehorned a litre-class V-twin motorcycle engine into a lawnmower?
Wonder no more: say hello to the MeanMower, a joint effort by Honda UK and Top Gear magazine. Starting with a standard Honda HF260 ride-on, the Touring Car development engineers at Team Dynamics fitted a 1000cc Honda VTR Firestorm engine in a space-frame chassis, with custom-made suspension and tyres from a racing quad.
The cutter deck was specially made in fibreglass, with two electric motors spinning 3mm steel cutting cable at 4000rpm, while the fuel tank, oil cooler and a second radiator are in what used to be the grassbox.
Based on development feedback from three-times British Touring Car champion Matt Neal and reigning title-holder Gordon 'Flash' Shedden, the MeanMower now has a one-off paddle-shift linkage, a custom-made Cobra sports seat, a Scorpion exhaust system that's been measured at an ear-splitting 130db and a steering rack from a Morris Minor.
It still looks like a standard mower and yes, Cyril, it still cuts grass but, with 81kW and 96Nm on tap, it's theoretically capable of 0-100km/h in less than four seconds and a top speed of about 210km/h.
VAST EXPANSE OF GRASS
Top Gear's tame racing driver, the Stig, actually managed 160.05km/h on track at the magazine's annual Speed Week.
The magazine's Piers Ward explained: "With the vast expanse of grass around Top Gear's headquarters at the former Army Air Command base on Dunsfold airfield, and the Stig to drive it, it seemed like a good idea to get Honda to help us build a super-fast mower.
"Having driven it, however," he admitted, "I've never been so terrified - it accelerates like a rocket and, as with any mower, there's no seatbelt."
Team Dynamics manager Peter Crolla added: "The biggest engineering challenge was retaining the look of the lawn mower - and the ability to still cut grass - which was made possible by the engine's low weight and wide spread of power."