Defender Octa Launches 406-MPH H2-Powered Car Range RoverA 626-horsepower Land Rover Defender Octa may not have been on anyone's bingo card for the job of launching a 406-mph hydrogen-powered land-speed record machine. Yet that's exactly what JLR says its SUV did at the Bonneville Salt Flats recently, where the JCB Hydromax set a new 406.320 mph (653.9 km/h) hydrogen-combustion land-speed record on August 11th. Apparently, when you need to shove a 5600-pound machine to 60 mph on loose salt, a twin-turbo V-8 off-roader starts to make a strange amount of sense.JCB's Hydromax was driven by Andy Green, the man who still holds the absolute land-speed record after piloting the ThrustSSC to 763 mph in 1997. According to JLR, the effort earned both a Southern California Timing Association speed record and an FIA world record for a hydrogen combustion vehicle.Range RoverThe Hydromax's gearing is made for going very fast, but only once it's already moving. Bonneville rules allowed it to receive a push for up to 984 feet (a.k.a. 300 meters) at the start of each run, and JCB enlisted a Defender Octa to handle that first, crucial shove. The SUV had to accelerate the 5600-lb land-speed contender from rest to 60 miles an hour within that allotted distance.AdvertisementAdvertisementAnd that job required more than simply attaching a trailer hitch and hoping nobody got too enthusiastic with the throttle. JLR fitted a bespoke push plate to the Octa's integrated, crash-tested winch mount, disabled the mount's deformable crumple zone, and added reinforcement, including a brace to the front recovery point.Keeping the two vehicles properly aligned mattered just as much as raw grunt. The Octa''s hydraulically linked 6D Dynamics suspension is designed to limit body roll and pitch, which helped keep the push plate level under hard acceleration. JLR says the setup worked without adding ballast to the Defender, despite the extra hardware hanging off its nose.Range RoverOnce the Hydromax cleared 60 mph, it was on its own— and afterwards, the Defender hustled across the salt to retrieve the Hydromax for another run. Quite the cool job for an SUV mostly seen in places like the school pickup line.You Might Also LikeIf You Can Only Own One Car, Make It One of TheseThese Are the Most Popular Cars by State
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