Wait until you see its top speed…
While there are plenty of impressive custom Chevy Camaros out there, only one Big Red exists. If you don’t already know the car, it boasts a crazy setup, including most notably the recent addition of a huge rear wing mounted to the back window. That combined with the massive hump in the hood might look ridiculous to those who know nothing about this racer, but all this craziness has a specific purpose.
Check out a fully restored 1970 Camaro strutting its stuff here.
Under the massive bulge in the hood is an equally massive 9.0-liter all-aluminum Big Block V8 and a ProCharger plus a methanol injection system. All that combines for over 1,900-horsepower on tap, which is a crazy figure for a little pony car. Seeing that setup, it’s not hard to understand why the ridiculous rear wing was added for half-mile runs, because without it this Camaro might decide to become a short-lived airplane.
What’s even more interesting is we’re seeing a de-tuned version of Big Red. At one point the team had the powertrain churning out even more power, thanks in part to more than 9.0 liters of displacement. Problems with traction forced them to dial things back a bit, showing that despite what Tim the Tool Man Taylor taught us, more power isn’t always better.
Even with things toned down, that massive rear wing is absolutely necessary. It exerts over 1,500 lbs. of downforce on the rear axle, keeping the tires’ contact patches on the blacktop so Big Red rockets forward with uninterrupted ferocity.
Despite all the wind resistance generated by the rear wing, Big Red still had a trap speed of 216 mph in the half mile, a feat which is most definitely impressive. Some claim the car hit 266 mph during a run at another event without the rear wing installed, but we can’t confirm that’s true. If it is, the lack of wheelspin off the line using the rear wing is worth slowing the car down some since the elapsed time improves.
Check out Big Red in action in the half mile.
