https://gasmonkeygarage.com/johnny-bohmer-inches-toward-300mph-badd-gt/
Author: bullpenstudio
Don’t try this at home.
Driving isn’t the safest thing to do when it’s raining. Even a slight drizzle could mean wet roads and wet roads mean less friction between the tires and the concrete. However, safety is something that isn’t in the vocabulary of the Porsche 918 Spyder – or at least its driver from this video.
The 918 Spyder is fast (and expensive):
Take Home This 45-Mile Porsche 918 Weissach For A Cool $2.2 Million ⠀Father Vs. Son In Hypercar Race Between LaFerrari And 918 Spyder
In a tire test at the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds on Merritt Island, Florida, a Porsche 918 Spyder attempted to reach its top speed in a 2.7-mile runway. It would have been an easy task for the 918 Spyder. After all, it’s powered by a 600-horsepower naturally-aspirated 4.6-liter engine and two electric motors that deliver an additional 282 hp. Whether the hybrid supercar will hit its top speed on this test or not wasn’t really a question, but it’s more of how long.
However, there’s one tiny bit of a problem – it’s drizzling and the concrete has become wet. While that may mean that showtime’s over, it wasn’t the case in this video.
Even with the wet road, the guys testing the tires pushed through with the plan. The Porsche 918 Spyder was launched on green flag with all the intention to reach 217 miles per hour, it’s registered top speed. It didn’t have any problems despite the uneventful condition; it’s like the car didn’t lose any of its traction at all.
Towards the end of the straight, though, the supercar failed to do reach its registered top speed and was “only” able to do 207 mph. Still, it was an impressive run and we really think the driver here has a big pair to perform such dangerous stunt on a wet surface.
A little warning for you dear reader: please don’t try this at home. Unless you’re driving a Porsche 918 Spyder, that we guess that’s fine.
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Badd GT Coffee Table Book
As we’ve written about previously in these parts, Johnny Bohmer, like us, likes the cars to go fast. One of his latest runs? A 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach, that he got up to 218 mph, or a hair faster than Porsche says the car should go.
Johnny runs the cars at a runway in Merritt Island, Florida, and says that the Porsche run took place on Feb. 10, when it was mostly clear while a mild breeze blew. Johnny says the car has over 20,000 miles on it, and is owned (and driven) by a race car driver who did not want to be identified. The speed they got up to is the world’s fastest recorded speed for a 918, Johnny says.
“We were amazed at the insane launch this car performed,” Johnny says. “I mean really quick.”
Porsche says the car’s top speed is 217 mph, and released video a couple of years ago to prove it (their speedometer, you’ll quickly realize, shows the speed in kph). But car speedometers, historically speaking, have been optimistic when it comes to speed, and, indeed, Johnny says he suspects the 918’s might be unreliable as well. (Almost every car’s speedometer is unreliable at that speed, though.)
Instead, Johnny used a Garmin GPS unit to measure the quickness, in addition to someone from the International Mile Racing Association being on hand timing the 2.3-mile run. Fittingly, just 918 918s were made—and it seems they can go a little faster than advertised.
The 2018 Dodge Demon’s top speed is, we have been told, 168 mph. But Johnny Bohmer, who likes the cars to go extremely fast, told Jalopnik that he recently got one to go 203 mph, with only a few minor modifications. And he’s got video to prove it.
Dodge emphasized quarter-mile times for the new Demon over top-speed potential, leaving it violently fast but still apparently slower than a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk on the track. The reasons? The tires and an electronic limiter. But Bohmer says that the electronic limiter is hogwash. And, with a different set of tires—Pirelli P Zeros over a set of Nitto drag radials—the Demon is more than capable of going well past 168.
This all happened on February 10 in Florida. The Demon, in fact, went over 168 mph that day on the Nittos, though Johnny says that handling beyond speeds of 170 mph became an issue. Here’s video of it going 180 mph on the Nittos:
What’s interesting to me about this is that Hennessey just put the Demon through its paces and only got it up to 164 mph; Johnny says that part of the reason no one’s gone faster is that few people have the proper place to test. The Demon he tested has the crate options installed, which includes a conical air filter and a powertrain control module that’s designed to unleash all of the Demon’s 840 horsepower.
I am afraid of the Dodge Demon, crate or not.
Update, 2:08 p.m.: A Dodge spokesman got back to me with a bit more context. This is from a Demon owner’s manual supplement:
The Demon Crate Powertrain Module (PCM) is not equipped with a speed limiter. This will allow the vehicle to exceed the tire’s speed rating of 168 mph (270 km/h). This could adversely affect the handling and safety of the vehicle. It’s the customer’s responsibility to equip the vehicle with the correct speed rated tires for their use above the speed rating of 168 mph (270 km/h).
“There is talk and there are results. We have the results to prove that electric cars can push the boundaries of performance and speed,” said Andrew Saul, CEO of Genovation Cars, Inc. “We made the GXE the fastest, proven street legal electric super car in the world by using state of the art technology and performance.”
The Genovation GXE has broken the world speed record for fastest street-legal electric super car three times in the past twelve months. Prior to this latest February test, the previous record was 205.6 mph. All records have been independently certified by the International Mile Racing Association (IMRA). “This is the edge of performance, and it is incredible to drive,” said Saul. “With the GXE, we are just at the start of what’s possible with electric vehicle performance.”
The GXE is a highly modified Corvette that has been re-imagined by Genovation to be a performance driven all-electric vehicle. The GXE includes a state-of-the-art battery management system, inverters, batteries and electric motors that exceed 700-hp and 600 lb-ft of torque. Through improvements in development, the range has been extended to 150 miles during normal driving operation. The GXE is designed for superior handling, with a near 50/50 weight distribution and optimized for a low center of gravity. It is available with either a 7-speed manual transmission or a paddle shifting 8-speed automatic. The GXE is truly a performance vehicle that is meant to excite drivers with its speed, responsiveness and efficiency while being gentle on the environment.
“I have been driving the GXE since the first record was set, and I am amazed at the continuing improvement on all aspects of the car,” said Johnny Bohmer, a world-record setting car driver for over 10 years. “The GXE is incredibly fast, with massive amounts of torque. A truly exhilarating thing to drive. The GXE is one of the finest, fastest, and most well-prepared cars I have ever driven.”
Genovation is currently in the testing and development phase for its GXE and has begun accepting preorders for 75 production vehicles.
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Electric Corvette clocks 205.6 mph
Genovation Cars broke their own Electric Car World Speed Record on July 28, 2016 clocking 205.6 mph in a street-legal, electric Corvette. This video captures the excitement.
Battery-powered ‘Genovation’ Vette hits a world-beating 205mph. Driver bares teeth