Turns out Honda’s super bike-powered ‘Mean Mower’ lawnmower was more than a mere automotive joke. The vehicle has reached such high status so quickly that it is now on its way to be showcased at the world’s largest tuning and custom car show, SEMA.
Honda Mean Mower was born because someone had this idea of fitting an ordinary lawnmower with a powerful engine. So Honda commissioned their British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) partner, Team Dynamics, to take up the challenge.
They did, and fitted a Honda HF2620 Lawn Tractor with a custom-made fabricated chassis, a 1000cc engine from a Honda VTR Firestorm, a bespoke suspension and wheels from an ATV. The engine makes 109 horsepower and 96 Nm of torque, which is a lot in a vehicle that weighs only 140 kg. The result is an incredible power-to-weight ratio of 532bhp/tonne, and a top speed of 133 mph.
To make sure the Honda Mean Mower actually works, Team Dynamics engineered the whole thing from the ground up and tested it at the race track. They even got the Stig to have a few laps in it. The thing features a custom-made paddle shift six-speed gear system, a bespoke sports seat, a Scorpion exhaust system and a steering rack taken from a Morris Minor.
The Mean Mower is basically a speed machine, but it can still cut grass, at up to 15mph, thanks to two electric motors on the cutter deck, spinning 3mm steel cutting cable at an incredible 4000rpm. It certainly is going to turn a few necks at SEMA, although we can’t help but think Pebble Bach would be a more ideal place to showcase this vehicle, as it could simultaneously be a showpiece and mow the supercar lawn!
