A heavily modified Suzuki sedan has just joined the 200-mph club at Bonneville and set a land speed record in the process.
Road & Track's Sam Mitani hit an average speed of 203.720 mph during a two-way pass at Bonneville on Wednesday morning, setting a new record for the blown gas coupe category. He just topped the previous record of 202.301 mph.
Obviously this is no ordinary Kizashi coupe. The guys at R&T went nuts building the car. They gave the engine a set of forged pistons and con rods, a modified intake manifold, a custom exhaust, a Turbonetics turbocharger (running as much as 16 pounds of boost) and an intercooler to increase the horsepower from 185 to 583 – at the wheels. Putting all that power to the ground required beefing up the six-speed transmission and installing an ACT clutch.
The interior got a roll cage, racing seat and harness and an aluminum bulkhead. The car rolls on 15x7 steel wheels wrapped in Goodyear rubber. An air dam keeps the front end planted, and a parachute helps bring things to a stop.
Although several people have set records on Suzuki motorcycles, this is the first time a Suzuki automobile has been in the record book.
Photo: Suzuki. Some videos after the jump
Qualifying.
The run. The camera is reeeeeally far away from the action.
In-car camera.
Video: Road & Track / YouTube
