Stephen Wallis, a 43-year-old motorcycle engineer from Rugby, Warwickshire, built The Beast, a 3D-printed RC car that just obliterated the battery-powered speed record. On September 19, 2025, at Llanbedr Airfield in North Wales, his 3ft-long creation hit an average speed of 234.71mph (377.7km/h), crushing the previous record of 218.53mph by over 15mph. But Wallis isn’t stopping there—he’s already redesigning for a “slightly ridiculous” 250mph target, proving that drone-motor RC engineering is just getting started.
Key Takeaways
- The Beast set a Guinness World Record for fastest battery-powered RC car at 234.71mph on September 19, 2025.
- Built from 3D-printed parts, carbon fiber, aluminum, and four drone motors in direct drive configuration, weighing 10.5kg.
- Accelerates from 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds and 0-200mph in 10.5 seconds.
- Development took 18 months to 2 years and cost approximately £2,000.
- Only the fifth RC car ever to break 200mph in a sanctioned event.
How a Motorcycle Engineer Built the World’s Fastest 3D-printed RC car
Wallis started with a deceptively simple idea: mount drone motors directly to the wheels instead of using propellers. The inspiration came from watching YouTube RC speed videos with his 13-year-old son Rory. Most traditional RC speed cars rely on complex transmissions, differentials, and steering gears. The Beast ditches all that. Instead, it uses four drone motors mounted directly to the wheels for direct drive, and steering is achieved by varying motor speeds rather than mechanical linkages. The design retains a drone flight controller for accelerometers, gyroscopes, and sensor feedback—components Wallis repurposed from early quadcopter prototypes.
The build process wasn’t smooth. Wallis burned out three speed controllers during development and lost critical drone electronics in one failed test. In June of the previous year, he managed to hit 196mph before the controllers failed. He rebuilt, redesigned, and tested repeatedly in his home garage, sometimes working up to eight hours a day. The final version combines 3D-printed structural components with carbon fiber and aluminum reinforcement, keeping total weight at just 10.5kg. This lightweight construction is crucial—it’s what allows four drone motors to accelerate the car from 0-60mph in just 3.5 seconds.
Breaking the Battery-Powered RC Speed Record
The record attempt happened during ROSSA Round 3, a sanctioned speed-running event. Wallis had three official attempts that day. His first run clocked 218mph—almost matching the previous record of 218.5mph. The pressure was on. On his second run, The Beast hit 234.71mph, a decisive 16-point improvement that shattered the existing mark. Subsequent attempts were hampered by rain and poor visibility, but the record was already secure. What makes this achievement even more remarkable is the rarity of the feat: The Beast is only the fifth RC car in history to break 200mph in a sanctioned event.
To put the speed in perspective, The Beast is faster than a McLaren F1 supercar, which tops out around 240mph. For an RC car built in a garage from 3D-printed parts and drone motors, that’s extraordinary. The acceleration figures underscore the engineering: 0-200mph in 10.5 seconds is blistering for any vehicle, let alone a battery-powered remote-control car.
The 250mph Goal: What’s Next for The Beast
Wallis isn’t content with the record. He’s already begun designing what he calls Project 250, targeting a “slightly ridiculous” 250mph (400km/h). This redesign involves engineering from first principles, including chunkier, larger motors to handle the demands of an even higher speed run. The challenge isn’t just raw power—it’s thermal management, structural integrity, battery performance, and aerodynamic stability at speeds where air resistance becomes a major factor. Traditional RC builders might add a transmission or gearbox. Wallis’s drone-motor approach sidesteps that complexity but introduces new engineering problems at extreme velocities.
The 250mph target is genuinely ambitious. It represents a jump of 15mph from the current record, a seemingly modest number that translates to massive engineering headaches. Battery chemistry, motor efficiency, and controller response times all become critical variables. Wallis’s willingness to push beyond incremental gains—to embrace what he calls a “slightly ridiculous” goal—reflects the experimental spirit that got him this far.
Why Drone Motors Changed RC Speed Running
Before The Beast, RC speed cars followed a traditional path: larger displacement, more complex gearboxes, refined steering systems. Wallis’s drone-motor approach is radically different. By eliminating the propeller and mounting the motor directly to the wheel, he created a system with fewer moving parts, lower mechanical losses, and direct power delivery. The flight controller, normally used to stabilize a drone in the air, becomes a precision sensor and control system for ground acceleration.
This architectural shift opens possibilities for future builders. The concept is elegant enough that other engineers might adopt similar designs, potentially sparking a new era of drone-motor RC racing. Wallis didn’t invent drone motors, but he reimagined their application—a hallmark of genuine engineering innovation.
What Does It Take to Build a Record-Breaking RC Car?
Beyond the technical specs, Wallis’s project reveals the personal investment required. He’s a part-time Royal Enfield motorcycle engineer, a married father of two, who spent 18 months to 2 years and roughly £2,000 developing The Beast. That’s not venture capital or corporate R&D budget—it’s a garage engineer’s passion project. The initial inspiration came from his son Rory watching YouTube RC videos, transforming a casual family interest into a Guinness World Record.
The failed attempts, the burned controllers, the lost electronics—these aren’t footnotes. They’re the reality of pushing boundaries. Wallis documented his journey, sharing videos and updates that inspired others to think differently about what’s possible with readily available components like drone motors and 3D printing.
Is the 250mph target realistic?
Wallis has already proven that drone motors can deliver extreme acceleration and speed in a battery-powered RC car. The jump from 234.71mph to 250mph is roughly a 6 percent increase, which sounds manageable until you factor in aerodynamic drag, battery limitations, and the exponential energy demands of higher speeds. His redesign with larger motors suggests he’s thinking seriously about the engineering challenges, not just chasing a number.
How does The Beast compare to traditional RC speed cars?
Traditional high-speed RC cars use internal combustion engines, complex multi-gear transmissions, and sophisticated steering linkages. The Beast uses four electric drone motors, a flight controller, and direct-drive wheels—a far simpler architecture that paradoxically achieves superior speed. This difference highlights how technological innovation can bypass conventional engineering paths.
What’s next for The Beast after 250mph?
Wallis hasn’t publicly stated targets beyond Project 250, but the modular nature of his design—swappable motors, reprogrammable controllers, 3D-printed components—suggests further iterations are inevitable. If he reaches 250mph, the next milestone might be 275mph or even 300mph. The real question isn’t whether it’s possible, but whether the engineering challenges become insurmountable before ambition does.
Stephen Wallis transformed a garage project inspired by his son into a world record and a blueprint for future RC engineers. The Beast proves that innovation doesn’t require massive budgets or corporate labs—it requires curiosity, persistence, and willingness to abandon convention. At 234.71mph, he’s already achieved the extraordinary. At 250mph, he’ll redefine what’s possible for a battery-powered RC car built from 3D-printed parts and drone motors.
Edited by the All Things Geek team.
Source: TechRadar
