When mentioning the Bonneville Salt Flats and any type of attempts on setting a land speed record, the type of cars coming into mind are not like the ones that we see cruising around on the streets. They could have at least pack a million horsepower, and some even have a fully functioning afterburner to take them to mind boggling speeds. So some might have their eyebrows raised upon hearing Volkswagen’s appearance on the Salt Flats to set a new speed record in their four-door Jetta Hybrid LSR.
A four-door might not be that odd, but a hybrid? Of course, the Jetta was not pitting against any of the ground rockets with speeds approaching the sound barrier. It was there to set/break the Southern California Timing Association’s (SCTA) land speed record for production car, which it successfully did with a speed of 301.184km/h. Driven by Motor Trend Associate Road Test Editor Carlos Lago, this run was also recorded as the fastest done by a hybrid.
This was the second time that the same combination of driver and car had set such a record, where the first one took place back in August with a 298.36km/h recorded. But although the car might bear a stock look, some modifications were allowed by the SCTA for the cars that were competing in the “production car” class that somehow puts it almost nowhere near being in a production form.
Aside from the lowered suspension, stripped interior, full roll cage and special Salt Flat tires, the engine was also pumped up to churn out 300-horsepower from the original 170-horsepower.
