Some stories deserve the cinematic treatment. Here’s an example. Earlier this month, JCB broke a land speed record (over 400 mph) using a very cool-looking, 32-foot streamliner — a long, slender, highly aerodynamic vehicle designed for speed. It’s called the Hydromax because it’s engineered with a pair of off-highway hydrogen engines, which are fueled by gaseous hydrogen and capable of generating up to 1,600 horsepower.

Wing Commander Andy Green (also known as the fastest man on earth) piloted the Hydromax on the Bonneville Salt Flats in August 2026, setting a new FIA world land speed record for a hydrogen combustion-powered car. Green averaged 406.320 mph across two runs. Why is an English construction equipment manufacturer (famous for its backhoes) breaking land speed records with H2 engines? JCB hopes to use that same technology on construction equipment in the near future. 

That’s so cool, right?

Even cooler, JCB gave me access to raw 4K footage of the whole event. Like, absolutely stunning, cinema-quality b-roll. As someone who likes to edit video, this was Christmas. In all this footage, I selected roughly 50 clips of video that would make a great story — just about 90 seconds of footage. There are no interviews. No voiceover. No text. Just music and images tell the story.

We already did a giant deep dive on the Hydromax, and you can read that right over here. To tease you into that story and the video, here are some quick facts on the Hydromax, H2 engines, and this land speed record.  

• Green made FIA runs of 400.623 and 412.135 mph, producing the 406.320-mph average.
• The Hydromax uses two production-based JCB hydrogen engines and technology tied directly to JCB's construction equipment operations.
• The Hydromax’s titanium turbo compressors spin at more than 150,000 rpm.
• Roughly one liter of cooling oil flows through the pistons every second at full power.
• The Hydromax uses carbon aircraft brakes and electronically controlled parachutes to help bring things back down to a reasonable speed.
• The engines had to contend with roughly 100°F temperatures, 4,200 feet of elevation, and highly corrosive salt.
• Oh, and Green is no stranger to going fast. He also holds the outright land speed record at 763.035 mph and partnered with JCB 20 years ago to set the company's 350.092-mph Dieselmax record.
• Learn more by reading this feature.