Jesse James might be known for his bad bikes and monster machines, but when he set his sights on the world land speed record for hydrogen powered vehicles, he didn’t take no for an answer.
After reworking the body on the Dees Milodon Engineering Davis B Streamliner and packing in a 572-cubic-inch Chevy big block, Jesse took it to the salt flats and set a new record speed of 199.7 mph. (Just shy of his goal of 200 mph.)
When asked about the project and why he didn’t just build a car from scratch, Jesse said (in a very Jesse way) “I think it’s way cooler to take an old hunk of shit that many considered useless and make it haul ass. It has built-in soul and history. Plus, it’s recycling.”
Other details include a Liberty airshifted 5-speed transmission, Winters quick-change differential, and three tanks to hold hydrogen at an impressive 5,000 PSI. In all, it makes more than 780 horsepower and 900 foot-pounds of torque.
“I’m not so blinded by the things I build that I can’t see change is needed,” he said. “I’m in love with anything with wheels and a big engine. I hope my son will be able to love the same things. They’ll just be running on a different kind of gas.”
[Wired - Inside Jesse James' Record-Setting Hydrogen Racer]
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