Insane JCB Hydromax targets 350mph, but imagine trying to park it
The Bonneville Salt Flats will once again play host to a JCB speed record attempt
JCB might be known for excavators, forklifts and tractors, but it also has history in world record pursuits - especially those involving speed. The British company’s latest endeavour targets the world land speed record for a hydrogen-powered vehicle.
The JCB Hydromax is the ‘car’ looking to beat the current hydrogen land speed record of 303mph, set by the Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2 in 2009 on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. JCB is aiming for over 350mph - funnily enough the same speed that it reached in the ‘Dieselmax’ in 2006 - which set a land speed record for diesel power that still stands today.
At the helm of the Dieselmax 20 years ago was legendary Wing Commander Andy Green OBE - who also holds the title as the only person to break the sound barrier on land in the 763.035mph ThrustSSC back in 1997. Green has once again teamed up with JCB to drive the Hydromax.
“The 'JCB Hydromax' car is lighter, more powerful and faster than its predecessor of 20 years ago. Once again, we're going to show the world just how good British engineering and technology really is. This August we're going to smash the hydrogen-powered vehicle record in the world's fastest (and most exciting!) zero-emissions vehicle. I can't wait.” said Green.
The 32-foot car is powered by two production-based hydrogen engines with a combined 1,600bhp. The overall shape is similar to many modern land speed record holders - sleek, flat-sided, with a single central wing to the rear.
While led by JCB, the project also has the support of Banbury-based engineering specialists Prodrive and motorsport transmission company Ricardo - the latter was involved with JCB’s Fastrac Two, which achieved a top speed of 153mph to become the world’s fastest tractor in 2019.
Like the Dieselmax, the JCB Hydromax will look to set a new record on Utah’s salt flats, shortly after Bonneville Speed Week this summer.
JCB Chairman Anthony Bamford, said: “JCB Dieselmax was always a bit of an unusual idea – but it proved a point. Putting an advanced engine into a land-speed car showed the world what it could do in a way a digger never could. It’s the same thinking with hydrogen today. If you’re serious about emissions you have to be serious about hydrogen – and a land-speed project is the perfect way to prove it.”
JCB, headquartered in Staffordshire, has spent five years developing hydrogen combustion engines as part of a £100 million investment. JCB diggers powered by hydrogen started work in 2025 - marking the first time a hydrogen digger had been deployed outside a test environment anywhere in the world.
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