The auto world is full of novelty vehicles and quirky creations, and as far as recent showings go, it doesn’t get as bizarre as this motor shed that’s sitting on top of a 1999 Volkswagen Passat and is powered by a 4.2-liter V-8 engine that was sourced from an Audi RS4. The absurdity of its appearance — it really looks like a shed — shouldn’t take away from what it’s capable of, though, and as we will bear witness in the following video, this shed can lay down the law in a drag strip. Just ask the third-generation Opel Astra that competed against the motor shed in a good ol’ fashion drag race. Without shooting the headline, you won’t be surprised by the results of that race.

This is one vehicle you don’t want to lose to in a drag race

An Audi-Power Shed on the Drag Strip

For what it’s worth, I think that this shed on wheels is awesome. It’s not often that you see something like this on the road, especially one that comes with an Audi-sourced 4.2-liter V-8 engine that produces 450 horsepower, thanks in part to a Stage 2 tuning kit provided by MRC Tuning.

It even has a hydraulic suspension and Quattro all-wheel drive, setups that are impressive on any vehicle, let alone one that’s carrying all that weight.

The engineering behind this four-wheeled shed gets top marks from me. Oh, and did I mention that this shed is actually in the Guinness Book of World Records? Yes, it actually has a place in the book as the fastest shed in the world. Ok, so the category is a bit on the gimmicky side, but who cares? It’s in the Guinness Book of World Records. That’s all that matters.

So, the question begs: how fast can this shed really go?

To answer that, I should direct you to this video of the Audi-powered shed in attendance at the Santa Pod Raceway in Bedfordshire, England for the Ultimate Street Car Event. The shed, which is owned by its builder Kevin Nicks, took to the strip to set a quarter-mile time. A third-generation Opel Astra packing around 200 horsepower joined it on the strap for a drag race, and as soon as both vehicles set off, it’s remarkable seeing the shed not only keep up with the higher and far more agile Astra, but it also managed to set a quicker quarter-mile time of 15.49 seconds at 86.69 mph compared to the hot hatch, which posted a top time of 16.037 seconds at 85.71 mph. Sure, it’s not a particularly impressive time relative to modern car standards, but given what Nicks was working it, the lap time is more impressive in that context.

I wouldn’t have picked this four-wheeled shed to beat an Opel Astra in a drag race, but sometimes, it’s the novelty vehicles and the quirky rides that end up surprising you the most.

While we’re here, might I suggest that Nicks race his shed with the current Audi RS4. The same one that’s powered by a 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 engine that, coincidentally, also produces 450 horsepower. The shed will most likely get smoked — the current RS4 can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and cover a quarter-mile in 12.1 seconds at 114 mph — but it should still make for an interesting race, to say the least.

Further reading

Read our full review on the 2018 Audi RS4 Avant.

Read our full review on the 2016 Volkswagen Passat.