World's Fastest Motorized Wheelbarrow Is Stupid Fun and Can Hit 53 MPH

To paraphrase one media outlet, if you want your gardening done in a hurry with a capital H, Dylan Phillips is just the man to call. Granted, you might not see much gardening done, but at least you'll have some fun and be treated to the sight of what has become – officially so, as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records – the fastest motorized wheelbarrow in the world.

Aside from celebrating outstanding achievement in all fields, Guinness is all about breaking records you never even imagined existed, but there's a precedent in this case. Phillips found out about it by pure accident while out at a pub with his friends – and then set his mind to breaking it.

Phillips is an engineer and passionate mechanic who lives in Crymych, Pembrokeshire, Wales. He does car rebuilds, he fixes up tractors and trailers that he then sells for charity (and not only), and he's a frequent attendee at local bikers' gatherings. Phillips is what you could describe as a man skilled with his hands, but he clearly also has the sense of humor for a Guinness-worthy undertaking.

He started working on what is now his Guinness-certified motorized wheelbarrow a couple of years ago, out of his shed, using stuff he already had lying around. It was a dumb but funny project that he picked up for the sake of it, trying to see how fast he could make it go. A typical dare, if you will.

"At that point all I'd done was but a scooter engine on the front and a little sled on the back," he tells one local publication. He started testing his contraption and discovered that it would hit 59.5 kph (37 mph) easily. One test led to another and then to more laughter in the pub with his mates, and Phillips was soon looking into records to see if there was one for a motorized wheelbarrow.

There was, and it was held by a machine aptly called the Barrow of Speed.

It was crowned the world's fastest motorized wheelbarrow in 2020 at a Straightliners event at Elvington Airfield in North Yorkshire, the same place where it was dethroned by Phillips' creation at the end of May 2024. The Barrow of Speed was built by Kevin Nicks, a name familiar to Guinness Records watchers since he also built the world's fastest shed. The Barrow was certified with an average speed of 72 kph (44.6 mph).

Whereas others might have admitted defeat right then and there, Phillips found the discovery motivating.

"I found out there was actually a land speed recorded for a wheelbarrow, so I began evolving it and testing it and it emerged in my mind that there was a genuine chance," he recalls. "It’s so fast I have to wear full leathers while riding it, with a back protector, a helmet, gloves and boots."

He can say that again. His wheelbarrow has been certified as the fastest in the world with an average speed of 84.62 kph (52.58 mph) but it can max out at an even more impressive 91.44 kph (56.82 mph). That might not look like much, but it's more than enough to make any precaution a must, as well as to rattle every fiber in your body, as Phillips can attest.

The motorized wheelbarrow is a wheelbarrow only in the front, with the salvaged engine underneath. There's a rear attachment to it, serving as a kneeling platform for the operator (rider?) - Phillips on this occasion and all official others.

He doesn't say a word about the engine, but he's adamant about how, no matter how fun it is to ride, his build is anything but comfortable – and that the fact that it has no suspension has a lot to do with it. Braking is also another challenging task with the machine, since there's a drum brake only on the front wheel. Phillips describes the experience after a few runs as "rattling," though exhilarating.

As for the experience of winning a Guinness certification, you don't need to know much about records in general and landspeed records in particular to guess Phillips' current state. "I feel on top of the world," he says in another interview. "I mean, it's absolute nonsense, really, but it's quite a nice feeling. Everyone loves it – it's so stupid. You can’t help but smile when you see it."

You can't ever accuse Phillips of getting caught up in his own fame. However, the best part about building this insane contraption is that it's given him a taste for it. Phillips says that it's an engineer thing to want to go even further once you've reached a milestone, and he hints that it's exactly what he plans to do next with his stupid but oh-so-fun motorized wheelbarrow.

Hopefully, future developments will also bring more details into the build. And a name worthy of this impressive achievement.