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Like a lot of websites, The Drive has a handy-dandy tips line so people can send cool stuff our way. Occasionally, some gems land in our inbox. This land speed lawnmower is one example, as it is very likely the world’s fastest, with a proven 152.8-mile-per-hour run. And better yet, it still cuts grass.
It’s the work of Elliott Loe and his friends. They run the Ziptied YouTube channel, building neat stuff like a 500-horsepower Porsche 914 with a Subaru EJ engine. But I’m especially interested in this scratch-built mower that sports a chromoly tube chassis and body panels off a ’90s MTD Tradesman once sold new at Sam’s Club.
Without the engine, the bare chassis weighs just 45 pounds. Drop in the 988cc inline-four from a 2004 Suzuki GSXR and it’s more like 450 pounds. That’s still plenty light, since that engine makes more than 160 horsepower at the crankshaft in stock form. Loe also force-feeds it with a 50-hp shot of nitrous.
There’s an electric mower deck underneath this rig, sourced from a Hart brand push mower you can buy at Walmart. Via Elliott Loe (top), NOCO (bottom)
The mower ran at ECTA’s Arkansas Mile, an event that saw one Corvette go 280 mph earlier this year. While Loe’s project couldn’t touch that top speed, it did manage a two-way average of 147.3 mph. It’s currently in the certification process, and if that speed is verified, it’ll be a new record holder. (The current record is apparently 143 mph, belonging to a Hayabusa-powered mower from the United Kingdom.)
“The surface was extremely rough for a mower that had no suspension, and it would jump in the air two or three times per run,” Loe said. “I also beat the Honda Mean Mower V2’s claimed top speed of 150.9 [mph], officially bringing the fastest lawnmower back to the land of freedom. Ha!”
There’s the slip proving his 152.8-mph run. Elliott Loe
One thing is for sure: You won’t catch me hustling a sportbike-powered paperweight to Autobahn speeds. I have kids. But Loe is a stud, and not only for driving the thing. Building something like this is the type of thing car guys love to talk about, but never do. He and his buddies actually followed through, and they could soon have a world record to prove it.
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From running point on new car launch coverage to editing long-form features and reviews, Caleb does some of everything at The Drive. And he really, really loves trucks.
