During a drag race on a dedicated track in Orlando, Florida, USA, a custom-built drag machine powered by Mazda’s 13B rotary engine hit a world record by completing a quarter-mile run in 5.93 seconds.
The starkly modified car was piloted by Juan “Juanchy” Illanas, who managed to attain a top speed of 236.34 miles per hour (380.27 km/h). These are the best numbers anyone has managed to achieve with a Wankel engine so far.
Most details remain to be revealed. For now, we know that the car – known informally as the Grey Bullet – received a Precision Next Gen XPR Pro Mod kit that entirely transformed its twin-rotor engine. The output isn’t specified, but the kit is designed to withstand up to 3,200 horsepower (2,400 kilowatts), so that should give you an idea.
As for the block itself, it was rebuilt from the ground up by Moncho Performance and then dialed into peak performance by Pito Tuning. Watch the video to get a taste of what a sub-6-second car is like.
