The Fastest Bed in the World Is a Thing That Exists, Based on a Ford Mustang GT

Guinness records are, some might say, a dime a dozen, and they’re awarded for the most random and strangest feats. Be that as it may, they still require a very special skill or at least the ability to learn one that no one else has, and money to get the Guinness commission to certify the record attempt.

This particular record had both: it had professional racing driver Tom Onslow-Cole for the “skill” part, and it had backing from Hotels.com, a major hotel booking online platform, disguised as marketing money. Put it differently; the company was looking to launch a new booking service for the Middle East and, in order to do so with a bang, it aimed to set a new Guinness World Record.

That record was for World’s Fastest Mobile Bed, which, why yes, is a thing. Until November 13, when it was set, the title was held by UK-based motorist and multi-record breaker Edd China, whose custom creation in the shape of a bed had reached a top speed of 69 mph (111 kph) in 2008. In order to get the much-needed publicity, the people at Hotels.com knew they had to do better.

So they brought in British racing driver Onslow-Cole who, as it so happens, set a record for the World’s Fastest Milk Float with the same Edd China and eBay Motors back in 2012. Onslow-Cole would be the designated driver for what was meant to become the World’s Fastest Mobile Bed.

That “bed,” of which Onslow-Cole would later say was “totally random but so much fun,” was based on a Ford Mustang GT. Actual details of the build were never made public, but since January is autoevolution’s Ford Month, there’s no better time than today to celebrate a Ford that wrote history. Regardless how funny or silly or apparently useless the context was.

The Guinness regulations said that, while there were no restrictions as regards the car used as basis, the frame should be framed like a bed. After all, they didn’t call it the record for the Fastest Mobile Bed for nothing.

The final build can be seen in the brief video at the bottom of the page and in the gallery attached. Guinness says that the Mustang was a “custom” one but doesn’t say in which way it had been modified. It could very well be that it was very much intact underneath the bed-shaped frame, which, we must note, also included branded pillows and what looked like a duvet that flapped in the wind.

Onslow-Cole drove reclined on the “bed,” which led to very obvious jokes, like how he was the fastest in bed or how he could have gone snoozing right there after the event.

Speaking of the event, it took place at the purpose-built Emirates Motorplex dragstrip in Umm Al Quwain, UAE. The race itself was not a very long one, but just long enough to allow Onslow-Cole the chance to hit a top speed of 83.8 mph (135 kph) and beat the previous record. As noted above, this marked his second entry in the Guinness Book.

“I was made-up to take the world’s fastest bed record with Hotels.com, it was an unforgettable experience and I hope it’ll stand the test of time – it’ll take some beating!” the driver said after the record attempt was certified on the spot. “As an international racing driver, I travel the world and use Hotels.com wherever I stay, so I already knew they could deliver a fast bed via the app and online – now I know they can deliver it on track, too!”

The statement sounded like PR-approved flattery, and it was most certainly that. But at the same time, it confirmed, once more, that in order to stand out, you have to think outside of the box. Getting a powerful and fast car like the Ford Mustang GT won’t hurt your chances, either.