10 Awesome Man-Toys With An Engine

Remote Controlled Cars

Gutted that you didn’t quite make it all the way to the top of motor racing? Still unable to let go of your childhood? Well then whip out your remote controlled car and take to the track. There are racing series all over the world, with dedicated TV channels featuring over enthusiastic presenters aplenty. The ‘grid walk’ is hilarious, by the way. But we shouldn’t laugh, these things are fast.

Microlight

You may think that flight is the preserve of those who put in years of hard work and dedication in order to travel the world and pester air hostesses. But there’s a more affordable, chilled out way to enjoy flight. Microlights are a relatively cheap way to enjoy our epic countryside from above, the serenity pierced only by the buzzing, parping engine behind you. You could even bring a friend along for the ride, though honestly it's impossible to look cool in one, so maybe enjoy this one by yourself.

Segway

News flash: Segways aren't exclusively reserved for people who can’t even be bothered to walk anymore. There’s so much more to them than that. You may be surprised to learn that these battery powered walking replacements can be used in a number of ways. There are even off roaders - as Team CT recently discovered - with chunky tyres that hit 12mph over rough terrain! Using witchcraft and manipulation of physics you just get your gangsta lean on in the direction you wish to travel and you’re on your way. But they’re pretty dangerous, as this muppet found out. As did Segway’s boss, who met his untimely end scooting off a cliff while on one of his devices.

Lawn Mower Racing

As a child there a few things cooler than sitting atop a big lawnmower, murdering grass like a boss. As you get older the magic never leaves, but your maturity calls for more power. And competition. Lawnmower racing marries the wonder of grass slaughter with the appeasement of your inner Vettel. The British Lawn Mower Racing Association (yeah, that’s actually a thing) states that “the mower must have been originally designed, manufactured and sold commercially, to mow domestic lawns” apart from regulated modifications. Then it’s onto the track in groups, similar to Le Mans. Now tell me you don’t want to get involved!

Powerboat

If you like the idea of Formula 1 but prefer your racing a little more watery, the Powerboat P1 series is for you. Kind of like the NASCAR of the ocean, the P1 SuperStock series features racing versions of a standard Panther. That means chucking in a 250+ hp engine that can hit 70mph on flat water. It even features crumple zones and a Kevlar cockpit for maximum impact protection. And you need it, as crashing these things is not for the faint hearted.

Jet Powered Mustang

You may be surprised to see a Mustang on this list, what with the price of entry being so high. But this ain’t no ordinary ’67 ‘Stang. This has a freakin’ jet engine. $30,000 buys you a 10,000bhp muscle car that’ll literally burn anything at the lights, and hit 308mph in a quarter mile dash. Theoretically at least. Nobody has actually survived that long, as instant cremation is the result of fully mashing the throttle...

Drag Car

Here at Car Throttle it may not surprise you to learn that we like a fast car, but we couldn’t just let any old cars into this list. Bugatti's Veyron waves the white flag to Top Fuel dragsters, which smash through 100mph in less than a second. Bugatti’s finest takes 3 times that just to hit 62mph! You need balls of steel to bash times like that out, as these dragsters subject their pilot to around 4G as it burns up the strip. And they take talent just to drive straight. And sometimes they expolode.

Epic.

Drag Bike

If you thought drag cars were insane, check out these Top Fuel bikes! Featuring similar acceleration figures to their 4 wheeled counterparts, these modified bicycles hit 250mph in about 6 seconds. Featuring a riding style that could not be further removed from the chilled Chopper cruise, the supercharged 1500hp monsters use 57 litres of racing fuel every mile. Mental, in the best kind of way.

Concorde

When we think of awesome engine-powered stuff, we inevitably start to think about engineering icons with huge power. Nothing fits that bill quite like the Concorde, which brought supersonic travel to the masses.The numbers are pretty incredible, topping out at 1354 mph (or Mach 2.04 if you want to be proper about it) thanks to 4 Rolls Royce turbojet engines. Unfortunately Concorde and its iconic droop nose was taken out of serve in 2003 after passenger numbers dwindled following a fiery crash in Paris and the World Trade Centre terrorist attacks in 2001.

Submarine

So we’ve been in the skies, on the water, on dry land and now it’s the turn of the submariners. HMS Astute is the Royal Navy’s most advanced nuclear submarine, and anything that features the word ‘reactor’ in the name of its propulsion system has a place in our hearts. Those boys at Rolls Royce are again wowing us at the heart of this operation, ensuring Her Maj’s finest sailors are rolling with the best down there. And since weapons are cool too, you might like to know she can hold 6 Tomahawk land attack torpedoes and Spearfish wire-guided heavyweight torpedoes. Don’t mess.