Anthony Hopkins’ The World’s Fastest Indian ranks among the must-see racing movies of all time, if you don’t mind expanding your repertoire to include motorcycles. The kicker is that it actually happened – 50 years ago. So to mark the anniversary, the Indian Motorcycle company is out to recreate the feat.
A team of engineers from the factory spent extra time after hours building this special Indian Scout with an upgraded engine and streamlined bodywork. The finished product is set to undergo shakedown testing at El Mirage in California before heading to the Bonneville Salt Flats where Burt Munro’s story went down.
As if the same marque’s involvement isn’t enough, Indian has brought the great nephew of Burt Munro – the protagonist of the original story – on board. Born and raised in the same town of Invergargill, New Zealand, Lee Munro is a motorcycle racer whose career has been inspired by his great uncle (or his grandfather’s first cousin at any rate). Lee hopes to race on the Isle of Man in the future, but before he does, he’ll be riding this tribute bike at Bonneville on August 13, 50 years after his famous great uncle made his run, only hopefully with better safety measures in place.
The idea is to honor Burt’s feat rather than break his record, but it should be a fitting tribute either way. “My uncle Burt was a significant inspiration for my own racing career, and his appetite for speed is clearly a part of my DNA,” said Lee Munro. “What Indian Motorcycle is doing is fantastic, and I couldn’t be prouder to partner with them and pilot my own Scout at Bonneville in honor of my Uncle and the 50th anniversary of his historic record.”
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