Who thought that alternative fuels can’t offer high performance?

With only compressed natural gas (CNG) fuelling its engine, the Lucas Oil/Lessman Streamliner set an official speed record for a CNG vehicle of 323mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats earlier this month.

Timed by the Southern California Timing Association, the vehicle actually hit a peak speed of 332mph with owner-driver Roger Lessman thrilled about the performance aspects of this more environmentally friendly fuel. He said that the engine sounded better than ever, although a clutch issue prevented the team from completing a second leg of the run.

The blown gas streamliner was designed and built by Riley Technologies and was originally designed to run on petrol. However, Lessman set his sights on a greener approach and converted the large-block Ford V8, 9.37litre turbocharged unit from traditional petrol to CNG.

Lessman now hopes to continue to refine the tuning on the CNG powered engine and with some modifications to the fuel delivery system he has set a personal goal of reaching 400mph.