Say hello to the JCB Fastrac Two, or WFT, the world’s fastest tractor as certified by the Guinness World Records earlier this year.
Driven by former bike racer Guy Martin, the modified tractor set a world record of 135.191 mph (217.568 km/h) over a two-way average on October 23 at Elvington Airfield in the UK. Not only that, the Fastrac Two was clocked at a peak speed of 153.771 mph (247.470 km/h)!
This enabled it to demolish the previous 103.6 mph (166.7 km/h) record set by Guy Martin in another modified JCB Fastrac special in June. Before asking why and how, you should know that this is anything but an ordinary tractor. Apparently, the British construction and agricultural machinery specialist was not that pleased with the initial 103.6 mph record set by the JCB Fastrac so it built a more radical machine. After all, the world needed a 150 mph (241 km/h) tractor, right?
Related: Guy Martin Drives A 1,000 HP Tractor To Record-Setting 103.6 MPH
Thanks to Autocar, we can now learn more about this intriguing tractor which is the star of the UK media outlet’s Christmas Road Test. The video below includes a full walkaround and technical presentation, as well as a flat out drive.
As you can imagine, this is a technological tour de force that pushes the limits of tractor design into a direction this type of utilitarian vehicle was never meant to go. Unlike most tractors, the production JCB Fastrac that the record-breaking machine is loosely based upon features full suspension front and rear, ensuring better road manners than an ordinary tractor.
That’s pretty much where the similarities end because the world’s fastest tractor is from a very different breed than the production model. For starters, it packs 1,016 horsepower (1,030 PS) at 3,150 rpm and over 2,500 Nm (1,844 Nm) of torque from a highly-modified JCB Dieselmax 7.2-liter six-cylinder turbo diesel engine.
Compared to the stock motor, the upgraded version features a larger turbocharger producing 5.0 bar of boost, an electrically-powered supercharger to keep the turbo spinning at low revs, water injection and charge-air cooling through ice tanks – necessary to reduce intake temperatures by 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). Engineers also revised the exhaust manifold for improved flow.
Factor in the lowered body, Williams Advanced Engineering aerodynamic kit and countless other modifications, including a ZF six-speed H-pattern manual truck gearbox, and you can begin to understand how on earth the JCB Fastrac Two tractor was able to exceed 150 mph.