Toyota Prius Sets Land Speed Record for Hybrid Vehicles

Now that the Bar has been Set Look for Others to Follow

If it's got wheels and a motor, there's probably a class for it to set a record in at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the Utah desert.

>If it's got wheels and a motor, there's probably a class for it to set a record in at the Bonneville Salt Flats in the Utah desert. (Photo: Toyota Canada)

This kind of mentality has stuck with generation upon generation of automotive, truck and motorcycle enthusiasts who create their own vehicles in order to land a spot in the speed record books.

Once dominated by bucket-seat hotrods and chopped Fords and Mercurys, the scene at Bonneville has changed, with entries from all sorts of vehicles, ranging from one-cylinder motorcycles, to 1,600-horsepower diesel fire trucks, to V8-powered station wagons and, of course, jet-powered manned missiles that look more like wingless fighter planes than anything resembling a car.

One category in which the SCTA, the governing body at Bonneville, had a blank entry was for hybrid-powered vehicles. Toyota's

Toyota's Motorsport division jumped on the opportunity to be the first to set a hybrid-powered vehicle record. (Photo: Toyota Canada)

Motorsport division jumped on the opportunity to be the first to set a record in this category with their gasoline-electric- powered Prius. Since the record books were empty, the team chose the line of least resistance by opting for a near-stock approach to the challenge.

The vehicle in question, prior to the application of its vivid green livery, started out as a randomly-selected production Prius. Toyota Motorsport did not change the car's trademarked Hybrid Synergy Drive system, which consists of a blend between a battery-powered DC electric motor and a small-displacement 1.5-litre 75-horsepower inline-four.