THERE was no way I was leaving the world’s fastest playground without having a go myself.
So here’s me, in a 540hp Defender Octa, following in the wheel tracks of speed king Andy Green.
The Octa topped out at 135mph on all-terrain tyres in absolutely no time at all Credit: Supplied
There are many reasons why Octa was used as the ‘push car’ for JCB Hydromax Credit: Supplied
Just point the car at the left edge of “Floating Mountain”, which is a tiny dot on the horizon of Bonneville Salt Flats – and hold tight.What a rush.
The Octa topped out at 135mph on all-terrain tyres in absolutely no time at all.
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Crazy to think Andy went THREE TIMES FASTER at 406mph in his hydrogen- powered JCB.
The tricky bit is slowing down. Brake too hard too quickly and your next run will be in the back of an ambulance.
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You can absolutely send it on the salt. But any steering and braking input needs to be calm and precise.
Also worth noting. Andy was just four inches from the ground in a cockpit nudging 58C.
I had air suspension, ventilated seats and a mini fridge.
There are many reasons why Octa was used as the “push car” for JCB Hydromax.
The Octa has a very sophisticated 6D suspension Credit: Supplied
I drove the Defender on Bonneville Salt Flats – and held right Credit: Supplied
Octapushy? The mighty twin-turbo V8 is a good starting point.
Add sticky 4WD, trick suspension and a front structure originally designed for a winch and you have the “magic recipe”, says JCB’s chief engineer of innovation Lee Harper.
The push plate is made from the same high-strength steel as a digger bucket by the way. I love little details like that.
Lee said: “We needed a high- performance vehicle with good traction to give us a good fast push and we needed the push plate to be kept perfectly vertical.
“Normally when cars accelerate hard they squat down at the back.
“The Octa has a very sophisticated 6D suspension that keeps the car perfectly flat under harsh acceleration, even when pushing 2.5 tonnes, and that became kind of the magic recipe.
“To top it all, it’s two great British brands working together hand in hand.”
Land-speed racers are given a red cap for hitting 200mph during Bonneville SpeedWeek, a blue one for 300mph and a black one for 400mph.
I’m going back one day to get a red one. Red suits me. Andy’s got all three.
DEFENDER OCTA
Key facts
Price: £150,824
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 540hp
0-60mph: 4.2 secs
Top speed: 135mph
Economy: 21mpg
