Introducing the Typhoon — totally custom & absolutely wild Aquatic Utility Vehicle
Strap in and hang on tight for the ride of your life! Introducing the Typhoon Aquatic Utility Vehicle (A.U.V.) by Shadow Six Racing. Utilizing state-of-the-art, competition-proven technology and exotic, strong, light-weight materials, the Typhoon A.U.V. is an ultra-custom, high-powered, incredibly nimble side-by-side vehicle that has been designed exclusively for high-performance use on the water. In concept, think of it as sort of a racing ATV suspended atop a pair of high-powered jet skis.
My introduction to the Typhoon was at the 2022 SEMA Show. Out of the water in the Las Vegas Convention Center, it was quite tall, so It was impossible to miss and had drawn a big crowd. A video was playing, to show what it is capable of.
Typhoon is suspended atop two custom-designed, Yamaha SVHO-powered, 700-horsepower, purpose-built jet ski platforms.
Typhoon is optimized for incredibly nimble handling, thanks to its low center of gravity. The suspension system is capable of tackling extreme surf conditions, unlike any other vehicle on the market.
I interviewed Ryan Goldberg — Founder and CEO of Shadow Six Racing, and his team.
The Typhoon’s low center of gravity contributes to its nimble handling, weighing just 238 pounds above the waterline, from a total vehicle weight of only 1,800 pounds. Its cage and frame are titanium, with carbon fiber and fiberglass construction inside. Most of the weight is in the engines, below the waterline. The hulls are totally custom carbon fiber and composite.
Shadow Six Racing partnered with Race Tech Titanium, which offers “titanium nuts, bolts, and custom parts for all types of racing applications from mountain bikes to top fuel dragsters. They work directly with many of the biggest names in the racing industry.”
Typhoon is capable of doing 100mph in as little as only six inches of water. It soars over waves like a comfortably-sprung luxury car.
The Typhoon’s handling around turns is incredible. It is able to pull a full 180-degree turn at top speed, and it launches over eight-foot waves.
Ryan tells us that the goal for Typhoon is to be the very best at what it does, which is being “the Baja truck of the ocean.” He explains that: “It’s meant to be able to get out there and, when other guys are bouncing around on their offshore race boats, speed right past them.”
Final assembly is done in Jupiter, Florida. All of the titanium work, in terms of welding, is done in St. Louis, Missouri — in part due to the consistently high quality of welding that is performed there.
As if all this was not enough, Typhoon also has an incredible Wet Sounds audio system, specially engineered for marine and powersports use. Everything that Wet Sounds builds is built in-house for a marine environment, engineered to withstand the elements. In 2005, Wet Sounds was the first horn-loaded pro-audio marine audio company. They developed a speaker system that projects sound 80 feet away, overcoming engine noise, wind noise and the elements.
On the Typhoon, the tower speakers are mounted in the back.
To keep weight to a minimum, there is one pair of really high output 10-inch Compression Driver speakers that reproduce the bass, mid and highs — everything — in one compact package.
The audio system is powered by a Wet Sounds Sinister amplifier, with a Wet Sounds AM/FM/Weather Band/Bluetooth head unit to control the audio. Learn more about Wet Sounds at: https://wetsounds.com/marine-audio/.
Of course, all of this comes at a steep price. To buy a Typhoon, you’d be looking at a price tag of a cool quarter-of-a-million dollars. Cutting corners, like making Typhoon from stainless steel, is not an option.
Using the Typhoon in competition seems like an obvious thing to do, so I asked Ryan about that. He told me that a goal is getting the first 20 of these to race in what he referred to as the “Bimini 500,” between Florida and the Bimini chain of islands in the Bahamas.
You really have to see Typhoon in action to truly comprehend what it does. Watch this video of the Typhoon racing at high speed along the winding Kissimmee River in Florida: https://shadowsixracing.com/videos/. For more information, visit: https://shadowsixracing.com.
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Copyright © 2022 by Jan Wagner – AutoMatters & More #771r1
Jan, the Typhoon is one amazing machine, obviously designed and built by people with no bounds to their imaginations. With only 20 being built, I can see that a price of 1/4 $million each will be required to recover development costs.
I’m not sure what types of aquatic vehicles the Typhoon will race against. Obviously it won’t be Sea Doos and the like, and offshore power boats doing 200 mph+ don’t venture into the surf and shallow water. The Typhoon might be the only entry in the Unlimited Class. It will be fun watching.
David,
You’re absolutely right. Nothing else has this unique blend of characteristics. What I suspect will happen is that they will simply have their own race series, in their own place and on their own schedule.
Jan