Honda claims world record with its 116-mph lawnmower

According to Albert Einstein, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Smart man he was, but I feel he neglected a key measure of insanity: The speed of one's lawnmower.

With the exception of Acura's upcoming NSX, Honda hasn't made a fast car in sometime. Perhaps that's because it's been focusing its efforts on building a lawnmower capable of claiming Guinness' world record?

Hitting 116.57 mph, Honda's "Mean Mower" has officially become the world's fastest lawnmower, besting the previous record by almost 30 mph – despite falling short of its 130 mph target. Ridden by Piers Ward from Top Gear Magazine at the IDIADA Proving Ground in Tarragona, Spain, the top speed run was measured over a 100-meter speed trap, under the watchful eyes of Guinness. To make it official, the run had to be repeated in both directions within an hour.

Honda partnered with its British Touring Car Championship race team to turn the Honda HF2620 Lawn Tractor into the racer it is today: It features a six-speed paddle shift gearbox meshed to a 1,000cc engine lifted from a Honda VTR Firestorm. That produces 532 hp per ton and ensures a 0-60 mph time of 4.0 seconds. The fuel tank is actually the grass bag. And the steering rack? Well, that derives from a – wait for it – Morris Minor.

And to claim its record, the Mean Mower still had to cut grass, which it does thanks to a pair of electric motors on the fiberglass cutting deck.

Einstein was right about many things, but not the definition of insanity. Honda's Mean Mower takes that title.