America has been getting shorted for the last few years by our Australian comrades who get awesome automobiles like the Ford Falcon XR6 or the Holden Commodore Ute. These powerful vehicles kept the spirit of the muscle car alive when it had all but died in America. Muscle cars are back in America now, but the Australians have thrown down the gauntlet again. As though a 454-powered ATV wasn’t enough, these crazy mechanics have taken skateboarding to the next level.
This YouTube video found by AutoBlog shows what these Aussies from V8 Supercars have done in their spare time. Namely, take a 630 horsepower V8 engine and strap it to a huge skateboard, just in time for famed skateboarder Tony Hawk’s visit to the Land Down Under.
Tony Hawk, America’s Ambassador of the Fingerflip Backside Air (that’s a skateboarding trick), will be making an appearance at the Telstra 500 V8 Supercar race. There he will be pitted against the Monster Vert Ramp, a half-pipe of epic proportions. An even more intimidating challenge though might be trying to pilot this ridiculous skateboard. It is quite literally nothing more than a 630 horsepower V8 engine strapped to an over sized-skateboard.
There is a red “Panic” button and a throttle attached to a cable, but there doesn’t appear to be anything else in the way of safety features. We don’t even see brakes on this deathtrap. We don’t blame the guy at the end of the video for moving along at a snails pace. Can this thing even be turned? Or is this a convoluted way for those crafty Australians to try and take out America’s best skateboarder?