E85 fueled Dodge Viper attempted to break the world land-speed record

Karl Jacob has attempted to break the world land-speed record for the standing mile in a street-legal E85 fueled Dodge Viper that produces close to 1,100hp. The attempt took place on the 17th of this month at the Mojave Air and Space Port, but no official times have been released.

Jacob is using the E85 Viper as a way to show that the words ‘alternative fuel’ and ‘high-performance’ can be used in the same sentence, commenting that the car “proves that enthusiasts can continue pursuing their passion without having to rely on conventional fuel”.

During the development phase, Jacob and his team discovered that renewable fuel performs much better than today’s gasoline. The burning of ethanol in biofuel has the positive side effect of cooling the combustion chambers, resulting in more peak power.

Updated: The ethanol fueled Viper failed to break its own previous best of 189mph in the standing mile despite ideal conditions at the Mojave Airport site. After a couple of good runs, problems with the engine’s management system meant that organizers had to postpone the event.