See all Motoring NewsThe Top Gear trio of Hammond, Clarkson and May are well known for building bodged contraptions that never really work, but it looks like their counterparts in Top Gear magazine have bitten off even more than their TV show counterparts can usually chew.
That is because the magazine has not only decided to build a lawn mower, but has also publically stated that it wants the mower to be the fastest in the world! To that end the team have enlisted the help of not only Honda (maker of lawnmowers amongst other things) but also Team Dynamics - the racing team that builds the Honda BTCC Civics.
The result is a 1,000cc motorbike-engined machine that is more quad bike than it is lawn mower. The wheels and tyres are from a racing quad, the back axle from a go-kart and it even has a space-frame chassis. In fact the only parts remaining from the donor lawnmower are the plastic body panels.
Even the cutting function - necessary for it to qualify as, you know, an actual lawnmower - had to be modified as the mechanism for power the blades would not work with the new engine. The result is a pair of electric motors that spin a brake cable at 4,000rpm - watch out grass!
The 110hp machine is said to be capable of 0-100km/h in 'about' four seconds and have a 205km/h top speed. Considering the Top Gear mower has no seatbelts driving it may be a job for The Stig.