People have been building homes out of logs since the days
of the Roman Empire. Building cars
out of logs, however, has been uncharted territory until very recently. Leave
it to Bryan Reid Sr., log home builder and star of the HGTV Canada show Timber Kings, to build the world’s
fastest (and first, as far as we know) log dragster.
Reid had imagined building a log car for a while, but it
wasn’t until he enlisted the help of a few mechanically-inclined friends that
he was able to make his dream a reality. After drafting up some plans, Reid
scoured his warehouse to find the perfect specimen for his vehicle. He found it
in a 240 year old cedar log with some distinct features that reminded him of
the fins on a racecar. Using chainsaws and chisels, Reid and his small team
shaped the log into the body of their vehicle. They called it the Cedar Rocket.
The rocket rides on the suspension of a Mazda RX-7 and it’s
powered by an electric motor and 500 pounds of lithium-ion batteries. Behind
the cockpit, two cherry red turbines make the vehicle look like it’s ready to
take flight. In fact, just like the spoiler on your old Dodge Neon, they’re just
there for show.
Last month, the Cherry Rocket earned itself a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records when it topped out at 55 mph on a drag strip in
Arizona. That might not seem like much, but in light of the fact that the
vehicle is a 2,200 pound piece of wood being propelled down a track by a glorified
golf cart motor, that’s not half bad.
Reid plans to sell the Cedar Rocket for $1 million and
donate the proceeds to charity. So, if you’re in the market for a log car that
goes like crazy in a straight line and you happen to have a million dollars
burning a hole in your pocket, now’s your chance!
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