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The Baltimore Sun reports on a car that exceeded 210mph on a track in Ohio.
What goes 0-60mph in 1 second, has 2,400 horsepower, and gets 10mpg on regular pump fuel? The world’s fastest-to-sixty, street-legal car: a Chevy Corvette Sting Ray.
First of all, how the hell do you go from 0 – 60 in 1 second?
That kinda acceleration would snap a man’s neck.
It does 200mph to 100mph in a second, too (on the track, using parachutes).
On DOT tires? I’d want to see proof of that. Once it hooks, it might not be an issue, but getting traction will take a certain amount of time.
Wow a drag car vs a production car. Whats next ooo ooo ooo my F16 is faster than a Veyron?
BMW325I, to design and build a car with that capability on one’s is a remarkable technical achievement. I’d bet my ass that given deep enough pocket this guy could build a roadcar that would crush the Veyron.
NickR : BMW325I, to design and build a car with that capability on one’s is a remarkable technical achievement. I’d bet my ass that given deep enough pocket this guy could build a roadcar that would crush the Veyron.
I’d agree, judging by Leno’s Toronado. But these guys don’t deal with regulations (noise requirements, emissions, safety, etc) and the mind numbing number of problems with supply chain management, so the comparison is a bit disingenuous.
Nice vette, though. That’s the beauty of turbocharging and EFI, you make insane power at the track and then turn the boost down for street use.
I’m impressed by the 10 mpg.
Considering the front end aerodynamics of that year Corvette are all bassackwards he’d either better have a massive airdam under the bumper, or hold on for dear life. Can anyone say Lamborghini Muira ?. ;)
Runs under 7 seconds 10 MPG and street legal?
Yeah! I think that might qualify as a remarkable technical achievement.
I think this thing broke the speed of ugly.
A single second to sixty doesn’t seems alien.
i mean does
I’d bet my ass that given deep enough pocket this guy could build a roadcar that would crush the Veyron.
Uh, no. I’m sorry, but I give VW engineers a lot of credit for what they accomplished with the Veyron. These comparisons are weak — it’s like all those Supra owners going on about how their turbos bring power up to 1000 HP. Great, but not even remotely in the same league.
I’m not even a fanboy of the Veyron (it’s too bulky and GT-oriented for my tastes), but it is an impressive work of engineering that, as far as I’m concerned, has yet to be matched.
There is a video at the linked page. Check it out.
Also the Super Chevy site.
Jack Baruth:
It was only a couple weeks back that all the fan sites were abuzz about a certain Fox body that’s now in the 6s on DOT legal drag radials. I’m not sure what tires this guy was on, but my guess is that in a year 6 second “street cars” on completely street-legal setups down to the tires will be old hat.
My main concern with something like that is how long will the engine last. If it spins beyond 8K and makes as much horsepower as a large boat (with several engines), how in the hell does it stay together for more than a few runs?
The amazing thing about the Veyron is it is a reliable, presumably long-life (how many owners are going to break 10 000 miles in the next five years?), understressed engine. They encountered a lot of hurdles making that possible. There are lots of 1000hp plus cars, but most of them are cobbled together death traps that would send a con rod into low-earth orbit.
JEC:
I had a Dodge Valiant send a rod into orbit and that was mass produced…
Flashpoint,
0-60 in 1 second is about 3G, so it isn’t anything the body can’t handle, especially for a short time. Obviously, you’d want to make sure you had a really strong, supportive seat, and you might consider a G-suit.
Not to mention every top fuel driver’s neck would be snapped in half. A Top Fuel car accelerates from 0-100 in UNDER 1 second. 0-300 in under 4 ticks. But after speaking with a driver, it is even more violent when those chutes catch.
Oh my God…. Something American engineered that outperformed something foreign! I’m glad this was brought to our attention. Wouldn’t dare want to pass up the chance to bash this car. Here’s what we need to do: We’ll form two groups. Group A will complain continuously about how bad the interior is while Group B will whine non-stop about how evil Americans create unrefined gas guzzlers, while giving a free pass to any import brand that does likewise. While Groups A and B assault this car with self righteous smarminess I’ll prepare some good excuses in case anyone questions our objectivity. Let’s get ’em!
Jack Baruth :
February 8th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
On DOT tires? I’d want to see proof of that. Once it hooks, it might not be an issue, but getting traction will take a certain amount of time.
Ummm, what do you mean proof? It is a fact. This car holds the record (or did) for a street legal (DOT tired) car. Click on the link and read the full article.
robertplattbell :
February 8th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
I think this thing broke the speed of ugly.
Ummm, ugly? A 1963 split window Corvette? You do realize most design enthusiasts consider this one of the best of all time… It was styled by Bill Mitchell, whom is also considered one of the best. Of course this car is slightly modified to deal with the huge turbos + rear tires. But for what it is, I think it looks incredible!
Worst graphics ever.
The builder, Rod Saboury, has done a whole series of Corvettes like this, each one a bit wilder.
So this would probably qualify as a death-car.
Ohio is now officially cooler than all the other states combined. Well, once we ban all the red light cameras.
*yawn*. Track times & reliability interest me a lot more than 1-run-wonders. So someone stuck a jet engine (or something similar) in a stock car. Big whoop. I’ve seen stupider stuff.
Even stupider is his street racing quote:
========
“That’s so dangerous, because their cars aren’t safe,” he said. “If they would crash their cars they’re going to kill themselves or someone else.”
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So you are telling me that if he loses control of his car at even > 150mph on the drag strip and crashes, he’s going to survive? I highly doubt it.
No one can seriously compare this with a Veyron surely?
The Veyron is beautifully engineered, with absolutely impeccible manners, whether on an autobarn pulling insane speeds at ease for extended periods, at a circuit or putting around in peak hour traffic with the air conditioner on high without a mere hint of what it capable of.
This is a drag car with a number plate,, would be an absolute pig in any traffic , and certainly wouldnt be going around any corners in a hell of a hurry or maintaining any top speed ( comfortably either) for any more than a few seconds…
German engineering has no peers, certainly not a backyardy from the states
[i]Flashpoint:[/i]
Uuuh if that were the case, then how does any drag racer running 7s or quicker not die on launch?
[i]Ptah:[/i]
This car is also beautifully engineered. As a racecar. It was designed to be streetABLE and to go fast in a straight line. It does both those things and that’s what’s important. And while it clearly doesn’t have the capabilities of the Veyron, it does have it beat in every single straightline acceleration measurement.
But thanks for ignorant close-minded comments.
[i]Robstar:[/i]
Actually, yes, he likely would survive a wreck at 150 mph in this car, because it’s designed as an NHRA-legal car. That means full rollcage, racing seat with harness, fire supression system, and so forth. No one in a Veyron would survive a 150 mph crash (for example)–you would very, very likely survive one in this car.
As the owner has made clear, it’s a racecar that happens to be street legal. And for the record, they’re wrong, it’s not the quickest car in the world.
NMCA Outlaw Street class cars ran on DOT tires and had all the functioning lights and such, and run in the 6s at over 200 mph. In fact, they used to, in the 90s, have to drive around a couple city blocks before race day to prove they were “street cars.”
This is sensationalized media, as always. Remember 5th Gear showing us “the quickest car in the world” on their TV show? It ran in the high 7s and was street legal–and still wasn’t the quickest in the world either.
Tigerraid> I’d be willing to bet money if he hit something head on at 150mph he wouldn’t be around.
tigeraid :
Immpeccible manners?…you seriously must be kidding if the road going equivilent of a Doorslammer will have any manners at all. The only ignorance here tigeraid is your one eyed bleating over a race car with a number plate and comparing it with a fully legal, emmission compliant/any other compliance required by any manufacturer, road car .
I think you put the nail in the coffin yourself of any comparison when you said yourself that it doesnt have the capabilities of a Veyron..
Who give a crap if it beats a Veyron in every straightline acceleration measurement?…its a big fail in every other department.( as in a comparison with a Veyron )..so the comparison with a Veyron is pointless.
A twin turboed LS1 will run 9’s and still be street legal, doent mean its a world dominating Veyron beater in any other aspect.
Despite the dribbly title of this vid , and its hangers on, its still a nice car regardless
ptah: Exactly what engineering is in the Veyron? Do you perhaps mean strapping a truck engine onto a small body frame? Really, what tech. can you possibly derive from this to, say, a Jetta?
And why is everyone still comparing wannabe fastest cars to the Veyron? I thought the Veyron had long been dethroned, by the Saleen S7 amongst others.
Wow a drag car vs a production car. Whats next ooo ooo ooo my F16 is faster than a Veyron?
Check this out:
Different cars, different functions.
The Veyron was never going to challenge for “fastest road-legal car,” but on the other hand it still has an honest shot at “best car ever.” What’s impressive about it, as others have said, isn’t the speed or the power, but the fact that it has that stuff while still being livable. It’s got AC, power everything, an uber-Audi leather interior, and airbags (what a concept). Within the laws of physics, it actually goes around corners pretty well too. GTR trannies are beginning to tear themselves apart handling less than half the power the Veyron has to put up with; I’ve yet to hear stories of Ricardo’s gearbox going similarly AWOL.
Modding a ’60s muscle car to do the quarter in less than seven seconds is a stunning achievement. Even moreso when it’s got power windows and cupholders. Hell, I think Rod Saboury’s a goddamned hero. But ultimately this ‘Vette’s purpose in life is to be a show car: as the guy says, you wouldn’t want to drive it past its 100-mile range anyways. What’s extraordinary about the Veyron is that despite all the numbers you can still plausibly treat it like a regular car. You can go down the street to get a milkshake from Dairy Queen without feeling like you’ve gone three rounds with a middleweight by the time you get home. That’s going to be the thing’s legacy, if there is one: not just performance, but performance with a smile.
That poor corvette. :(
Funny, I used to attend a cruise night and there was another guy who came in 70 Chevelle SS with an enormous big block. It ran in the 7s. The funny thing is he’d show up with this wife in the passenger seat and two kids in a vestigial backseat…complete with seatbelts. Now that’s cool.
Ptah: you were the only one here who used the phrase “impeccable manners.” Or should I say impeccible in your case.
onerareviper: yeah, seriously ugly. The ’63 split window, as originally built, is a beautiful car, but this guy has taken the silk purse and turned it into the sow’s ear.
I’m not so sure about the “street legal” part of this vehicle.
The exhaust noise alone from this thing would get a citation in the town I live in.
-ted
Street legal is a fluid concept. In this case it means lights and a number plate. In most states and some provinces it would also have to pass emissions, noise, and a safety inspection (although I don’t doubt it can pass safety, it’s a freaking race car).
Hey that’s awesome. What’s with all the jealous comments here?
Ptah:
You seemed to have missed the rest of my rant about how the car was overrated and not particularly special. Speaking of one-eyed…
I simply meant that it was built for a specific purpose, which was to go faster (than a Veyron, coincidentally) in a straight line than anything else, and be street driven.
I blamed the sensationalizing of the ARTICLE for overhyping it or comparing it to a Veyron. And it IS a masterpiece, just a masterpiece of a different kind. To be snooty and “bla bla German Engineering Perfection bla bla” toward it is to do a dis-service to the fabricator’s amazing work.
I mean to say… not particularly special in terms of performance numbers, rather.
And this benefits humanity exactly how?
All automotive projects should benefit humanity? How about the benefit of “fun.”
Gforce :
you really must be joking to ask a question like that . You dont think a car capable of 400kph, 1000hp , amazing handling/stablity at high speed, the ability to stop as quickly as it accelerates, and the logistics of fitting an engine that size into a compact body, drivetrains & tyres to endure its output time and time again, not to mention deal with the intense heat produced by 4 turbos…and the myriad of other things I havent mentioned or even know about, and you think its engineering is comparable with a Jetta?
Dean: pardon the typo, maybe you should contest the next Spelling bee 2009?
tigeraid : credit where it is due tigeraid you did state that and I glossed over it ..my apologies
Eazy : nice post
This is street legal in its own state, what about any other state?
California with its strict emisson laws… do you think it’d pass there…