MTT 420RR: The 273mph Turbine-Powered Superbike
If you think conventional superbikes are extreme, the MTT 420RR Turbine Superbike takes performance to an entirely different level. Hand-built in the USA and powered by a Rolls-Royce M250-C20B gas turbine engine derived from helicopter technology, the 420RR is one of the most extraordinary production motorcycles ever created.
Developed by Marine Turbine Technologies (MTT), the 420RR is the latest evolution of the company’s legendary turbine-powered motorcycles. Producing a claimed 420 horsepower and 500 lb-ft (approximately 678 Nm) of torque, the turbine engine is capable of propelling the motorcycle to a gearing-limited 273 mph (439 km/h).
That makes the 420RR not only spectacularly fast, but also one of the most unusual motorcycles money can buy.
Helicopter Power on Two Wheels
At the heart of the 420RR is a Rolls-Royce M250-C20B gas turbine, the same basic family of engine used in helicopters such as the Bell 206. The turbine operates at an incredible gas-generator speed of around 52,000 rpm, delivering its power through a two-speed automatic transmission.
Unlike a conventional motorcycle engine, the turbine can run on a variety of fuels, including diesel, kerosene and Jet A aviation fuel.
The result is a riding experience unlike anything produced by a traditional piston engine, with the turbine delivering its huge wave of torque accompanied by the unmistakable sound of a helicopter engine.
Built Like an Aircraft
The 420RR is hand-built using aircraft-grade materials, with extensive use of CNC-machined aluminium and carbon fibre. Components from specialist manufacturers including ISR Brakes, Öhlins, BST Wheels, STW and Beijer Electronics contribute to the motorcycle’s exotic specification.
Carbon-fibre wheels and high-performance Pirelli tyres help keep the enormous performance under control, while the motorcycle features sophisticated braking hardware designed specifically for the unique characteristics of a turbine engine.
Because a turbine doesn’t provide the same engine-braking characteristics as a conventional motorcycle engine, the 420RR incorporates an N2 braking system, operated from the left-hand control.
Despite its extraordinary performance and technology, the 420RR is fully street legal.
25 Years of the Turbine Superbike
The 420RR 25th Anniversary Edition marks 25 years since MTT introduced the Y2K Superbike, the motorcycle that put turbine power firmly on the map.
Production of the anniversary 420RR is limited to just five motorcycles, with each one individually hand-built to MTT’s highest specifications and finished with exclusive features and liveries.
The price is every bit as extraordinary as the motorcycle itself, with the 420RR carrying a starting price of approximately US$275,000.
The MTT Y2K Superbike
Long before the 420RR, MTT created the Y2K Superbike, which became famous as the world’s first turbine-powered street-legal production motorcycle.
The first-generation Y2K used a Rolls-Royce Allison gas turbine engine producing more than 320 horsepower and 425 lb-ft (approximately 576 Nm) of torque. It was reportedly clocked at 227 mph (365 km/h), making it one of the fastest motorcycles of its era.
The Y2K also earned recognition from Guinness World Records as the most expensive production motorcycle ever offered for sale, as well as being recognised as the most powerful production motorcycle at the time.
MTT manufactures its motorcycles in-house, with many components fabricated from solid billets and relatively few off-the-shelf parts. The philosophy has always been simple: build something completely different from anything else on the road.
And with the 420RR, that philosophy has been taken to another level.
MTT 420RR Key Specifications
- Engine: Rolls-Royce M250-C20B gas turbine
- Power: 420 hp
- Torque: 500 lb-ft / approximately 678 Nm
- Gas-generator speed: 52,000 rpm
- Transmission: Two-speed automatic
- Claimed top speed: 273 mph / 439 km/h
- Dry weight: Approximately 227 kg
- Fuel: Diesel, kerosene or Jet A
- Wheels: Carbon fibre
- Tyres: Pirelli
- Construction: Aircraft-grade aluminium and carbon fibre
- Production: Five 25th Anniversary Edition motorcycles
- Price: Approximately US$275,000
With helicopter-derived turbine technology, 420 horsepower, a claimed 273 mph top speed and a price tag approaching a quarter of a million dollars, the MTT 420RR isn’t simply another superbike. It is a two-wheeled piece of aviation engineering — and one of the most outrageous motorcycles ever built.