World’s fastest Postman Pat van
Two drag racing buffs converted a children’s coin-operated ride into a record breaker, with the vehicle speeding to more than 160kph.
While many people would recognise the bright red van from Postman Pat, the 1980s children’s TV show set in the fictional village of Greendale, the souped-up version became a hit at drag strips.
The quirky dragster started as a child’s ride bought off eBay for £250 (about NZ$600) by UK racing enthusiasts Tom Armitage and David Taylor, who then added modifications including a racing wheelbase, slick tyres and a 500cc four-stroke engine.
On August 30, 2012, the crowd-pleasing vehicle set a Guinness World Record as the fastest Postman Pat van after completing a quarter-mile (402m) run at England’s York Raceway in 17.419 seconds, with a terminal speed of 84.28mph (135.6kph).
It secured a second world record as the fastest coin-operated ride when Ben Rushforth got behind the wheel in May 2013 and reached 101.36mph (163.12kph) at the same venue.
The van has also put some supercars to shame after outdragging a Porsche 911 GT3 RS and Aston Martin V-12 Vanquish.
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