Big Red Camaro Flashback: Making a Statement With 232 MPH Run

Big Red Camaro wound up going faster, but this 232 mph run at Mojave Magnum set shockwaves through the land speed racing world.

Most GM fans that have been around for a while are aware of the Big Red Camaro, a 1969 version of that machine that started as a father-son project by Dan and RJ Gottlieb in 1987. The groundbreaking build is widely credited with creating the Pro Touring movement, combining traditional looking bodywork with copious amounts of power and a bespoke chassis, all with an eye toward dominating open road and land speed racing. Recently Big Red Camaro took a look back at one of those historic moments.

This particular run took place at Mojave Magnum in 2014, a 1.5-mile standing-start land speed racing event held at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. Big Red Camaro managed to hit an incredibly impressive 232 miles-per-hour on that particular day – which wasn’t its personal all-time best, but a true statement that sent ripples through the land speed racing world, by all accounts. In fact, the ’69 Camaro wound up going as fast as 266.2 mph at that particular venue later on.

This clip is also a bit somber, as the Mojave Magnum is no more after organizers were forced to permanently cease operations some time ago. This happened when Mojave Airport management was directed by the FAA to stop hosting time-trial and test-and-tune events at their facility, marking the true end of an era.

The saga of the Big Red Camaro is a long and winding one as well, taking it everywhere from the La Carrera Classica to the Silver State Classic to the Bonneville Salt Flats to Pikes Peak  over the course of several decades – and many iterations. It started out with a stock frame and an all-aluminum 540 cubic-inch Lingenfelter big block, but after a horrible crash at its debut in the 1987 La Carrera II, it was time for a replacement.

In the ensuing years, Big Red was featured in magazines and it continued to set records and win races, all while evolving mechanically speaking. It has even been featured in movies like Fast and Furious 4 and Chips, and it was the star of its own documentary, dubbed The Original Outlaw Racer.

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.