Posting a speed of 222 mph, Gale Banks Engineering’s diesel sport
truck, the Dodge Dakota Sidewinder, set a land-speed record for the
world’s fastest pickup at Bonneville Salt Flats in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The pickup set the land speed records on its first attempt after towing
its support trailer onto the salt flats.
Conceived by Gale Banks of Gale Banks Engineering and John Stang
of the Cummins Engine Company, the Sidewinder utilized integrated
engineering technology to create the world’s first diesel sport truck, a
completely street-licensed vehicle capable of daily work and trailer
towing.
To prepare the Dakota, Banks fitted the truck with a modified
Cummins 5.9-liter turbodiesel, producing 735 hp and more than 1,300
lb-ft of torque. Don Alexander drove the Dakota across the flats,
setting a two-way record at 217.314 mph and an exit speed of 222.139
mph, surpassing the existing record of 159.647 mph.
