A mechanical engineer from Rugby has used nearly 25 years’ experience working with PTC technology to help him design and develop the world’s fastest remote-controlled car.
Stephen Wallis, who honed his engineering skills at companies including Royal Enfield, Triumph Motorcycles and Greenjets, took just eight months to create, build, test and then run ‘ Mach Reaper ’.
Designed using the power of PTC’s cloud-based Onshape solution, the car clocked 250.67mph through the timing traps at a ROSSA (Radio Operated Scale Speed Association) speed event held at Llanbedr Airfield in North Wales.
This incredible achievement broke the previous Guinness World Record and makes Stephen the first person in history to push a remote-controlled car to those speeds.
Just a few weeks later he broke his own record, reaching 256.47mph at an unofficial speed event.
“At these speeds everything becomes difficult. Aerodynamics, tyres, electronics and reliability must all work together and there have been many iterations along the way to fine tune performance,” explained Stephen, whose engineering-based YouTube Channel attracts tens of thousands of regular viewers.
“I first used Creo while studying mechanical engineering at Imperial College London in 2002 and have continued to use PTC solutions throughout my career in motorcycle and product development.
“When I started the Mach Reaper project, Onshape gave me the flexibility, accessibility and design capabilities needed to move quickly from concept through to testing and refinement.”
He continued: “My passion for stretching the boundaries of performance for remote-controlled cars began in 2024, alongside my day job. Initially, I took advantage of PTC’s free Onshape licence programme for start-up innovators and aspiring designers.
“This was a fantastic initial resource and one I highly recommend. As the possibility of a world record became more realistic, I upgraded to a professional licence, giving me access to the full functionality of the solution.”
Stephen, who is currently supporting his son Roy’s own record-breaking RC car attempts, highlights Onshape’s ease of use and intuitive nature as key drivers in designing the majority of the forty different components used in Mach Reaper.
Plug-in apps, including an aerofoil creation tool, helped him significantly enhance his initial design, with the cloud-based nature of the platform ensuring he could continue working on the project when away from home.
Whilst most of the components were manufactured in-house by 3D printing or by hand, outsourcing aluminium and carbon-fibre parts was made straightforward thanks to Onshape’s fast file-sharing capabilities.
“Finite Element Analysis has also been a major advantage for simulating different suspension and aluminium wheel designs. This helped me refine the end model and, importantly, ‘eek’ out that extra bit of speed without damaging the car,” added Stephen.
PTC, which has its UK headquarters in London, is a strong supporter of innovation through its broad portfolio of digital transformation solutions, including its hugely popular cloud-based CAD offering.
“Stephen’s achievement is a remarkable example of what happens when engineering talent, determination and modern product development tools come together,” said Greg Brown, Vice President of Product Management at Onshape by PTC.
“In just eight months, he transformed an ambitious idea into a world-record-breaking vehicle, and we’re proud that Onshape played a role in that journey.
“The record itself is impressive, but what stands out most is Stephen’s passion for sharing what he’s learned,” Brown added.
“Through his YouTube channel and work with students, he’s helping inspire the next generation of engineers, makers and innovators to pursue their own ambitious ideas.”
Wallis isn’t stopping with his world record and is exploring plans to create a remote-controlled car capable of exceeding 300mph.
For further information www.ptc.com or watch his YouTube channel here
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