While the majority of the hydroplanes in H1 Unlimited have installed helicopter turbines to propel their boats more than 200 mph, a few hold-outs have hung onto piston engines. Go 3 Racing from Evansville, Indiana, are one of those few teams and instead of the turbine, their hydroplane gets its power from a different kind of airplane engine: an Allison V12. The Go 3 crew have added a pair of huge turbochargers to force-feed each cylinder bank of the three-ton hydroplane.

Jimmy King drove the boat at Seafair in Seattle and H1 Unlimited cleverly stuck a camera on to watch the big snails breathing in the seawater and creating mini-clouds. It’s a great view with the engine sticking out behind the cockpit and while King only finished 6th at Seafair, few will doubt his is the coolest powerplant. The 1,710ci Allison V12 in the boat was of the type used in a number of warbirds, including turbocharged versions in the P-38 Lightning.