The Fastest Shed beats speed record on Welsh beach

The motorised shed, driven by its owner and creator Kevin Knicks was one of numerous whacky and speedy vehicles to take part in the Straightliners “Top Speed” event on Pendine Sands, Carmarthenshire, South Wales, on Saturday.

Mr Nicks, who created the Fastest Shed, first tested it on Pendine Sands in 2017 when he reached an impressive 80mph.

However he decided he wanted to top that and spent the winter months replacing the engine with a 450 horsepower twin turbo engine – and on Saturday he reached a top speed of 101.046mph.

He said: “It is unbelievably fast.

“I have more than doubled the power, and this is where aerodynamics and physics and all that nonsense comes into it, I have more than doubled the power just to do an extra 21mph.”

Mr Nicks, from Oxfordshire, said he was “over the moon” because to put the engine in “consumed my life this winter”.

Mr Nicks said driving the shed on the motorway was “just so much fun” and that he would be taking part in another Straightliners event in York next week.

He added: “It is humbling and rewarding for me to make so many people smile.”

The beach was first used for a world land speed record 94 years ago by Sir Malcolm Campbell in his Sunbeam 350HP car Blue Bird.

On September 25 1924, Sir Malcolm set the record at 146.16 mph before breaking it the following year when he reached 150.75mph in his distinctive-coloured car.

The modern event, which attracts record-chasers on motorbikes, scooters and various other two and four-wheeled vehicles, allows participants to test themselves on a sandy one-mile or 1km course in a bid to break British, European and world speed records.

Each attempt is recorded officially and the record-chasers can have as many goes as time and tide permit, queuing up for a second attempt after completing the first.

The event will continue on Sunday and is one of dozens Straighliners organises around the country each year.