How fast is a 4,000hp V8 dragster – in the sand? We drag raced one to find out

We’ve something a bit different on the Carwow drag strip today – as a matter of fact, we’re not on the Carwow drag strip at all. We’ve headed out to Tilal Swaihan in Abu Dhabi and to a specially constructed sand drag strip to test out some of the craziest vehicles we’ve ever had on the channel.

We’re racing over 100m rather than our usual quarter-mile, as sand has the tendency to be rather shifty once you’re going over a certain speed. But we’ve definitely got the machinery to tackle it in style – a selection of buggies ranging from the fun to the unbelievably ridiculous.

Read more about the vehicles below, or watch the full video to see how they each did.

Polaris RZR Pro R

We started out simple with the Polaris RZR Pro R, built by American motorcycle manufacturer Polaris. It uses a 2.0-litre, naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine which produces 225hp and 206Nm of torque.

It puts that to the road… er, sand, through all-wheel drive and a torque converter automatic gearbox. It weighs 1,050kg and costs $39,000.

Can-Am Maverick RXRS

Polaris’ neighbour to the North, the Canadian Can-Am, produces this Maverick RXRS. It uses a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine that produces 240hp and 209Nm of torque.

Like the Polaris it has all-wheel drive but a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, and it’s slightly heavier at 1,110kg. It costs $42,000.

Tuned Polaris RZR Pro R

Stepping things up a bit is this tuned Polaris, which now runs on ethanol. It still has the same engine, but thanks to a turbocharger, a new clutch and ECU, it produces 480hp and 407Nm of torque. It’d set you back $64,000.

Tuned Can-Am Maverick RXRS

In a similar vein, this tune Can-Am Maverick RXRS is running on ethanol and has been tweaked to produce a beefy 400hp and 361Nm of torque, retaining its all-wheel drive and gearbox. It costs $60,000.

Funco GTU

Now let’s step things up a little. The Funco GTU, driven by Nasser, produces an impressive 1,700hp and 1,763Nm of torque from its 7.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine.

It’s rear-wheel drive with a five-speed sequential gearbox, so should prove a handful on the loose surface. Despite all that extra power it’s barely any heavier than the Can-Am or Polaris, at just 1,200kg, but it will set you back about $300,000.

The Blower

Here’s the main event. This custom-made beast uses an 8.5-litre engine with 4,000hp – it’s so highly tuned that it needs an engine rebuild after every run. Watch the video to see how it performs – you won’t be disappointed…

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