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Written by Evan Williams
(Photo/Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds)
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On one of the longest runways in the world, a highly modified Ford GT goes 310.8 mph — with barely enough room to stop before hitting the weeds.
Johnny Bohmer is claiming the title of fastest street-legal car in the world. His BADD GT, a 2006 Ford GT, topped 310 mph on the extralong runway at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
One Owner, Low Miles
Bohmer’s history with this Ford GT is a long one. He bought the car new in 2006 and from day one the goal was to make it faster. Not just that, but to build the fastest street car in the world and to break the 300mph barrier.
The BADD GT — Bohmer’s name for the car — broke 250 mph in the standing mile in 2010. It then scored a Guinness World Record for the standing mile when it hit 282.232 mph in 2012.
Bohmer is understandably proud of the new top speed, but he didn’t have much to say about the car. We do know that it still has a 5.4L V8, though there isn’t much left in it that originally came from Ford. The engine has twin turbos, and way back in 2018 it made 2,700 horsepower. Back then it ran to just shy of 300 mph, so we’re thinking it has a whole lot more power today.
Top-Speed Run: A Happy Accident
With even more power on tap, part of what makes the run so impressive is that Bohmer wasn’t going flat out. He wasn’t even going for a record or a top speed.
The team was testing the car. They were working on the new FuelTech FT600 engine management system and its traction control system. Bohmer said that the car was capable of another 500-700 horsepower. That’s enough to give it an even more absurd top speed.
There aren’t many places with enough pavement to let you run to 310.8 mph. But Bohmer has a line on one of the best. His company, Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds, has the use of the NASA Shuttle Landing Facility runway at the Kennedy Space Center.
The 15,000-foot runway is 100 yards wide and has 1,000-foot paved runoff areas. That’s if the original 3.22 miles of concrete isn’t enough. You can see in the video that even with a parachute, the soon-to-be world’s fastest street car needed that extra distance.
Other challengers on the runway include the SSC Tuatara’s 286.1mph run and a McLaren Speedtail that made it to 250.
“We’ve been blown away by the capabilities of this car,” said Richard Rawlings of Gas Monkey Garage, sponsor of the car since 2016. “Johnny and I are committed to showing the world the kind of speed that this car can achieve and feel we can create records that will last for years.”
More Recordings Than Motown
Bohmer took some serious steps to make sure the car’s speed was accurately recorded. The timing package included four Garmin Ultra 30 cameras, a RACELOGIC VBOX Performance Box Touch, the FuelTech ECU, and a RacePak. They’ve also turned it into a nice short video without cuts instead of burying the run at the end of 9 minutes of preamble. So, thanks.
You can see in the video the run was shockingly smooth, though far from easy. A big twitch as Bohmer was reaching for the parachute switch could have easily gotten much more out of hand. And this is a stick-shift car, meaning there was only one hand on the wheel at some of the toughest parts of the run.
World’s Fastest Street Car: Street Cred
What are the car’s “street-legal” credentials? It has a plate, with valid registration and insurance, for a start. But it also has working air-conditioning, lights and signals, and even a passenger seat.
Bohmer said he uses the car for errands around South Florida — even taking the kids (one at a time) to school. And running on E85 just like it was for the test.
The next step is for Bohmer and the BADD GT to get serious. Once the engine tune is dialed in, the Kennedy Space Center runway is there and waiting for the pair to go all out for as much of the surface as good sense and safety allow.
Evan Williams
303 articles
Evan Williams has been drooling over cars since the time he learned to walk. He went to school for engineering, but transitioned into a more satisfying career in automotive and outdoor media, and has been at it for nearly a decade now. Evan is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and is the Motors News Lead at GearJunkie. Hespends his non-automotive time walking his dog, hiking, cycling, jogging, and trying not to be too much of a hack mechanic.
