British engineering firm JCB is targeting a new land-speed record with a 32-ft. car powered by hydrogen engines and will attempt to set a new mark at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah later this year with its JCB Hydromax.

Testing will begin in the United Kingdom before the team heads to Bonneville SpeedWeek in August. The JCB Hydromax will run with two production-based hydrogen engines, producing a combined 1,600 hp. SpeedWeek is run by the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA), which governs and verifies official class records at the event.

Andy Green, who set the diesel land-speed record of 350.092 mph in August 2006 behind the wheel of the JCB Dieselmax, will pilot the Hydromax for the upcoming attempt.

Following Speedweek, the team will remain at Bonneville to pursue officially recognized world records under the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the global governing body for motorsport.

"Britain has a proud heritage of setting speed records and, as a British company, I'm excited to challenge for a new one using hydrogen. This is not just about speed--it's about showcasing the world-class engineering talent we have here in the UK and the robustness of our new hydrogen engines," said JCB Chairman Anthony Bamford. "JCB Dieselmax was always a bit of an unusual idea--but it proved a point. Putting an advanced engine into a land-speed car showed the world what it could do in a way a digger never could. It's the same thinking with hydrogen today. If you're serious about emissions, you have to be serious about hydrogen--and a land-speed project is the perfect way to prove it."

For more information, visit jcb.com.