Plum Quick Motors Drives Custom Golf Cart to 118.76 MPH Record
Robby Steen piloted a custom 2008 Club Car DS named the Bandit to a Guinness World Record top speed of 118.76 miles per hour at the Darlington Dragway in Hartsville, South Carolina, slashgear.com reported.
Golf carts typically move leisurely across turf or serve as transportation in retirement communities. The Bandit shatters that conventional utility completely. Plum Quick Motors, a family-owned business based in Lancaster, South Carolina, built the machine.
Engineering The Record Breaking Electric Powertrain
Carson Steen and his two sons, Ricky and Robby, founded Plum Quick and spent nearly 50 years engineering speed and torque upgrades for electric golf carts. The family set a previous record of 103.65 mph the year before the 2014 run.
The Bandit relies on a Plum Quick Black Ops motor powered by twelve 12-volt AGM lithium-ion batteries that generate 144 volts. The build incorporates a stock controller with a bypass, a stock Graziano rear axle equipped with a custom gear set, all-wheel disc brakes, and safety belts. Technicians placed 80 pounds of lead weight on the front bumper to maintain stability during high-speed acceleration. Every other component remained stock, including a full set of golf clubs stowed neatly in the back.
Driver Lifts Throttle Below Top Speed During Record Run
During the October 31, 2014 record run, Robby Steen estimated that only about 80 percent of the battery power was utilized. He believed the vehicle could have reached 130 mph, but he intentionally let off the accelerator at 118.76 mph for safety reasons.
The team pursued even higher velocities in 2020 by attempting to hit 150 mph using an entirely different cart. That subsequent build included professional safety equipment such as a roll cage, an explosion shield, and racing harnesses. That attempt fell short of the 150 mph goal, and official records have not been updated since. Beyond golf carts, the Steen family focuses speed projects on Power Wheels cars, power chairs, and lawnmowers.
Federal Regulations Limit Standard Models to Low Speeds
Standard golf carts generally top out at 19 mph due to federal safety regulations established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration under FMVSS No. 500. Conventional models with a maximum speed of 20 mph or less are legally classified as Low-Speed Vehicles and therefore operate outside standard motor vehicle definitions.
