caravan speed record

[davepoth]

A friend of mine has just started building small camping caravans. <br>
<br>
Thinking of ways to promote it, we stumbled upon an interesting fact. the record for a caravan tow is 139mph. We were thinking that this should be fairly easy to break, especially with a sub 250kg ish caravan. Does anybody have any experience of towing trailers in excess of 100mph? what should we be looking at doing?

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[2F45T4U]

Top Gear done it and the windows blew/ripped out at 120mph. And it killed the Evo they had <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :b --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/tongue.gif ALT=":b"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END-->

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[SprintV8]

<br>
I sure that's been beaten.<br>
<br>
Record held with a Dodge Viper.<br>
I'll check later.

<p>1980 Dolomite SprintV8 (In the process of modifying the Alloy sump)<br>
2002 Citroen Xsara 2.0 HDi Estate.... Part's delivery Vehicle.<br>
They laugh at me because I am different. I laugh at them because they are all the same!)<br>
<br>
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[george]

yea it was done by a viper............<br>
guess you'd need plenty of horses to pull at a higher speed the original was held iirc by john dodd in his merlin engined sudo rr

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[alun n]

How can you call a person who is in league with lucifer a friend?<br>
<br>
Why would someone want to make more of the devil's spawn that manifests itself as caravans???<br>


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[davepoth]

Guinness book of records website says it's 139mph set by a guy in a Mercedes S600 in South Africa. <br>
<br>
I figure that this caravan is so small (same size as those tiny little trailers used for hauling garden waste and stuff) and aerodynamic (full teardrop shape) that it will make an awful lot less drag than a normal caravan, making it much easier to break the record.

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[alun n]

Why not get him to design the aerodynamics of it such that at 50mph it attains sufficient lift to leave the ground by a foot or so and just get towed along in the slipstream?

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[davepoth]

It is kinda wing-shaped. I'll suggest it to him. <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START 8) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/glasses.gif ALT="8)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END-->

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[Carsreunited]

Is it a caravan for midgets or does the sides pop up somehow?<br>
<br>
You would definitely need a steady bar to stop it weaving, tyres sufficient for the weight and speed of the thing, oh and extra gaffa tape around the windows by the sound of it!<br>
<br>


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[Sprint36]

...high enough cliff and throw it off. That ought to get it past 139mph.<br>
<br>
David

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[davepoth]

It's pretty much a fibreglass 2 man tent on a trailer chassis. It's actually quite comfortable to sleep in though. I've written off to the guinness people to see what the criteria are. <br>
<br>
As for the tow car, I was thinking maybe a v12 Jag?

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[mbellinger]

... was the fastest ever recorded in the UK, and was (I think) at Bruntingthorpe. The driver was Colin Goodwin (whoa t the time worked for Car magazine, but is now with Autocar). If you drop him an e mail Dave I am sure he will give you some info. I have the original article (somewhere) and will dig it out. <br>
<br>
The record run was done with financial and other help from Chrysler UK (who supplied the Viper), Witter (the tow bar, which was custom made), and Swift Caravans (who supplied a special Japanese market only van which was significantly narrower in width and therefore more aerodynamic).<br>
<br>
In the event the final run was delayed several times because of high winds, and in the end they went ahead on a day when the official from Guinness could not attend, as that was the last slot they could get on the track and the weather was just about right. They accepted that the absence of the Guinness man would render the record "unofficial". I think they had a couple of very near misses where the van started snaking and they only just got it under control, then they managed a run of something like 146 mph.<br>
<br>
I am sure Mr Goodwin will tell you more.......

<p>Martin<br>
<br>
1968 Triumph 1300FWD<br>
1975 Triumph 1500TC Auto<br>
1989 Honda Civic 1300 Auto<br>
2006 Mondeo 2.0 Ghia X Auto<br>
2002 Renault Scenic<br>
<br>
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[Jod Clark]

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[Carsreunited]

You will need something a bit pokier than a v12 jag. Maybe a dolomite with nearly 800bhp would do it but I don't know anyone with such a machine.<br>
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[davepoth]

I don't think he could fit a towbar round that exhaust somehow.<!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :D --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/happy.gif ALT=":D"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br>
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