C8 Horsepower World Record Smashed by FuelTech
Twin-turbocharged FuelTech C8 Corvette puts down a blistering 1,350 horsepower, smashing the previous record by 150 horsepower.
It’s no secret that the C8 Corvette has been modified to a massive extent since its release. No surprises there! No matter how good a car comes from the factory, it will always find an owner that wants just a little bit more. In many cases, too, it will wind up in the hands of someone who wants a whole lot more. It seems the moment a vehicle is released, the battle for the highest horsepower variant of it begins immediately. There’s certainly no shortage of competition in the C8 world, either. Hennessey has consistently worked their magic on the C8 chassis, even becoming the first to eclipse the 200 mile-per-hour barrier. Emelia Hartford’s C8 Corvette holds the world record for the fastest quarter-mile. Additionally, her 1,200 wheel horsepower C8 was the world’s most powerful. However, that recently changed.
If you’re in tune with the world of aftermarket tuning (see what we did there?), you’re likely familiar with FuelTech. They manufacture high-end standalone engine management systems and ECUs that you’ll find on race cars around the world. Recently, they posted a video to their Youtube channel announcing they had outdone Hartford. Now, the C8 world record is an astonishing 1,350 wheel horsepower.
What’s making all this power?
While a step-up of “only” 150 horsepower may not seem that drastic to many, it is actually quite huge. In a world of massive four-digit horsepower numbers everywhere we turn our heads, we forget that this is a substantial step up. Furthermore, when playing at the very limit of what is possible with these engines, it’s remarkable to even squeeze a few dozen extra horsepower out. If you consider drivetrain loss, this 150 wheel horsepower added more power than the original 1955 Chevrolet Corvette even came with!
“Here, I’m sharing with you some of the products we’re developing for newer model engines and transmission control stuff. So, this 2020 Corvette you’ve been following, we decided to turn this into a race car to really move fast and develop the newer technologies,” says FuelTech CEO and Founder Anderson Dick.
Making all this power possible is a set of Garrett G35-900 turbochargers. The assembly does not use an intercooler, thanks to water-methanol injection to keep intake temps cool. This makes the overall kit reasonably simple. Control is provided by a FuelTech (duh) FT600 standalone ECU. According to the video description, this car also has a nitrous setup but wasn’t even running it for these dyno pulls, which makes the overall power much more impressive.
Frightening power and amazing sounds
Describing the turbo noises this car makes is not something that can easily be done via text or even words. You just have to hear it. Luckily, there’s some great audio for the dyno pulls in the below video.
Dick goes on to explain how this car will be further used to develop and understand the C8 chassis and make more performance modifications and options available for the platform to the racing world. So, yes, this record is remarkable. However, this car serves a much greater purpose than simply holding the record. FuelTech is developing and perfecting transmission control, fuel control, and just about every other aspect of the C8 drivetrain. That, to us, says this might not even be where the power of this monster of a C8 stops.
Be sure to check out the full FuelTech video below!
