Cars with Ferrari or McLaren badges travel at more than 200 mph (322 km/h), but not Honda and Volkswagen. Of course, technically speaking, Volkswagen is no stranger to more than 200 conversations due to group brands such as Bugatti, Lamborghini and Porsche, but the "Beetle" is usually not the Volkswagen Group car mentioned in such companies. But this month, both a Volkswagen Beetle and a Honda signed their names in the world's fastest car at a speed of more than 200 mph.

Japan Honda's R&D department began to seek land speed records last year, launched the "Bonneville Speed ​​Challenge" and selected 16 volunteers to build and deploy a streamlined model called Honda S-Dream.

We saw S-Dream at Speed ​​Week 2016 last month. Its front end was bubbly above the ground before it descended to the digital style multi-color uniform of the larger body, which was impressive. Land rocket.

Based on its appearance, we immediately thought that S-Dream might have a chance to become the fastest "Speed ​​Week liner", and then discovered that instead of relying on a four-digit horsepower V8 engine, it is better to say that you'd be streamlined in the fastest world record It was found in the car that the Honda-designed S-Dream set a world record with a more moderate 660cc device-this is only 0.66 liters of displacement, which also happens to be the maximum displacement allowed by Kei cars-Japan's cute and weird car.

Honda started with the 660cc three-cylinder engine of the S660 sports car, broke it down and built it to complete the task of powering the four-wheel projectile, driving at speeds of more than 200 mph on roasted desert salt.

"The team carefully re-studied every component of the S660 engine and updated many of them, including the cylinder block, piston, crankshaft and valve, hoping to increase the power of its design by more than three times," Honda R&D The department explained. "Additional features such as replacing the lower cylinder block with a steel unit and reinforced connecting rods give the unit the stiffness required to withstand record-breaking operations, and the car completed several test runs in Japan before heading to the United States."

Earlier this year, S-Dream flew from the Pacific to the United States and immediately encountered a considerable obstacle when preparing for the official timekeeping record run. The driver Hikaru Miyagi was unable to see things correctly through the small windshield, and was unable to keep S-Dream pointing straight ahead on the white ocean of the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Since Honda is part of the modern era of global car design and manufacturing, it does not need to ship the car all the way back to Japan, but rebuild the windshield and surrounding structures at the Honda Performance Development Department in California before returning to Salt Flats in time to participate in the speed week.

The stylish S-Dream and the meticulous Honda R&D team pushed it to the starting line, leaving a deep impression on bystanders like us, but it turns out that Speed ​​Week is safe and sound for Honda. It did make the car drive at 240 mph (386 km/h) many times, but it did not achieve the record-breaking success it hoped (SCTA record J [0.508 to 0.753 L] blown fuel streamlined) engine The speed is 266.561 mph/429 km/h). During the run we saw, S-Dream took off and accelerated by more than 230 mph, but stopped midway due to some problem.

After Speed ​​Week, invite to participate in Mike Cook’s Bonneville Shootout, which is a very different land speed racing event, where the menu is approved by the Auto World Record approved by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and approved by the International Motorcycle Federation (FIM) world record. Motorcycles, a set of records completely independent of the national records supervised by Speed ​​Week's SCTA.

The shootout is a low-key event, with a small group of outstanding competitors vying for the glory of the international speed record. Compared with Speed ​​Week and other Bonneville events, this atmosphere seems more like a "world-class speed machine" rather than a "hot rod made in a garage." Venturi/Ohio State University's world record for electric vehicles is also held here.

The gun battle track is 11 miles (17.7 kilometers) long, which is much longer than Speed ​​Week's 8-mile (12.9 kilometers) track, and the levels and rules are quite different. For example, unlike SCTA's qualifying/overnight seizure/morning return match, FIA records require two returns within one hour after qualifying.

Honda participated in the shootout to perform the task, and it did not waste any time to complete the task. On the first day of last week's race, it set a world record with a speed of 227.776 mph (367 km/h) and did not start to slow down until its record was increased to 261.875 mph (421 km/h). ) In subsequent activities.

As reported by Honda, S-Dream not only set a mark in the same class (Class A, Group 1, Group 4), but also obtained the right to brag internally, surpassing the BAR Honda F1 car and becoming the fastest ever. Honda racing car. After flying one mile in Bonneville in 2006 at a speed of 246.908 mph (397 km/h), this heavily modified BAR F1 car maintained the title of "fastest Honda", which also made it Set a land speed record for an F1 car.

Congratulations to Honda R&D for its very fast and efficient efforts!

Before Honda started last week, Volkswagen of the United States had achieved success in Bonneville with its own moderately engined car. The specially prepared Volkswagen Beetle LSR reached a record of 205.122 mph (330 km/h) and won the title of the fastest Volkswagen Beetle in the world.

Volkswagen set a record in the 2016 Speed ​​World of the Utah Salt Beach Racing Association, which is another major Bonneville event that uses the same SCTA regulations as the Speed ​​Week. World of Speed ​​is particularly suitable for Volkswagen, including a challenge specifically for 36 horsepower Volkswagen mistakes. This year's event was held from September 10th to 12th, and Volkswagen just issued a press release about this feat earlier this week.

Just like Honda, Volkswagen made some heavy-duty modifications to the engine before attempting to run it. The turbocharged 2.0-liter TSI engine was overhauled by THR Manufacturing in California, with new turbochargers, pistons, camshafts, connecting rods, and head modifications, with a maximum output of 543 horsepower (405 kW) and 421 pounds Feet (571 Nm) wheels-more than twice the 210 horsepower (157 kW) and 207 pound-feet (281 Nm) of the four-cylinder engine that produced the Beetle R-Line.

"The Beetle is not the car with the best aerodynamic performance in our product portfolio, so running at 205 mph proves the power that the EA888 TSI four-cylinder engine can generate," said Hendrick Mu, Vice President of Advanced Products at Volkswagen USA Dr. Si said marketing and strategy. "This feat truly demonstrates the athletic and combative spirit of the Beatles."

In addition to the overhaul of the engine, Volkswagen has also made some major changes, which is clear when you see the salt-sweeping Bumblebee Beetle. Volkswagen abandoned the suspension, added a limited-slip differential to improve traction, removed the cabin, added a roll cage, racing seats with seat belts and a fire extinguishing system, and used special Salt Flat wheels and tires as well as a pair of Parachute with brakes.

"More than 200 mph in the Beetle LSR is a serious irritation," said Preston Lerner, the car's special editor, who drove the car into the record book. "If the salt is not that rough, we have enough motivation to run faster. But seeing a speed of 208 mph on the digital readout is an experience I will never forget."

According to a Volkswagen press release, the Beetle LSR runs on the Blown Gas Coupe, G engine (1.524 to 2.015 L) level. Neither the press release nor USFRA’s World of Speed ​​2016 record-breaker list mentions the new level record of the Beetle LSR, so the car’s record-breaking seems to be limited to the unofficial name of “the fastest Beetle in the world”. Anyway, we think this is a cooler title.

A very different journey and vehicle from Honda, but also a very cool feat. Congratulations to Lerner and the public in the United States!

Related to this, the Southern California Timekeeping Association announced on Thursday that the World Finals event scheduled to be held in Bonneville next week has been cancelled because of the recent rain that has hit the western Utah desert.