
At left is Bill Martin's record-setting Triumph Cub. At only 200cc's (just 12 cubic inches, about the same volume as a stack of 15 Oreo cookies) it was able to achieve a remarkable speed of 139mph in 1959. After this feat, Martin set his sights on the absolute speed record for motorcycles, then held by Johnny Allen in the "Texas Ceegar" at 214mph. He built a new streamliner with two 500cc Triumphs, but it's ill-handling at speed needed too much work to fix. In 1962 he decided to sell it to Bob Leppan who had also set his sights on the absolute land speed record. Leppan and his machanic, Jim Bruflodt, were able to make the "Cannibal V" driveable and took their new machine to Bonneville to see how it would run.

Unable to get to Bonneville in time for most of 1963's "Speed Week", the team from Triumph Detroit were able to get one run in before their chain broke, ending its short debut on the salt. Leppan and Bruflodt were able to fix the bike and return to the salt, but Speed Week was over. Instead, Stormy Mangham, then running a small block Chevrolet in his motorcycle streamliner, shared his salt time with Leppan on a 10 mile circle he had set up for long-distance high-speed endurance runs.
Leppan gained valuable seat-time learning how to steer his new bike at speeds well over 200mph. It was also where the Gyronaut team was complete, with the addition of stylist Alex Tremulis. Upon their return to Detroit, it was clear that their shoestring budget would need a boost in the form of sponsors and cash. In order to generate some sort of income, Tremulis pursued sponsorship money while Leppan decided to do a series of exhibition runs at the drag strips where his twin-engined Triumph Cannibal II had won many of its races.
Leppan gained valuable seat-time learning how to steer his new bike at speeds well over 200mph. It was also where the Gyronaut team was complete, with the addition of stylist Alex Tremulis. Upon their return to Detroit, it was clear that their shoestring budget would need a boost in the form of sponsors and cash. In order to generate some sort of income, Tremulis pursued sponsorship money while Leppan decided to do a series of exhibition runs at the drag strips where his twin-engined Triumph Cannibal II had won many of its races.

Leppan installed his Cannibal drag racing engines in the streamliner and contacted several of the drag strips about getting compensated for exhibition runs. In 1964, a couple hundred dollars could buy plenty fo speed equipment for their Triumph engines. New Harmon and Collins camshafts, S&W valve springs, Barnett clutches, Lucas Racing magnetos, German-made Molly forged pistons, and Amal GP2 carbs were just some of the off-the-shelf speed parts that were fitted into their racing engines. All bought with valuable exhibition run money.

The end of the line came for the Cannibal V when it hit a bump on the dragstrip at over 100 miles per hour. The clearance for a salt flats streamliner is no match for the often uneven pavement of a drag strip. Rather than repair the Cannibal V, they decided to start from scratch with an entirely new, purpose-built streamliner. With new sponsorships from Tremulis' old employer, The Ford Motor Company, a brand new chassis was designed around an entirely new ultra-streamlined body. This new ride was named "Gyronaut". Carroll Shelby himself would provide a race-prepped Fairlane Cobra 289ci, while Ford sent along a close-ratio 4-speed transmission and rear differential. Eventually the Ford components were dropped in favor of two Triumph Bonneville mills, and soon the record for the World's Fastest Motorcycle would be in their hands...