Legendary Camaro ‘Big Red’ Rips Half Mile With Goofy Wing
Iconic Camaro ‘Big Red’ proves function comes over form while testing this massive wing and cracking off 200+ MPH half-mile sprints.
If you are familiar with American Muscle icons, then you are probably familiar with this car. Big Red is a legendary 1969 Camaro that has been tearing up streets and tracks since the late 1980s. If you ever had a magazine covering the likes of the Silver State Classic or Bonneville Speed Week, you’ve probably seen this car. It has gone through a slew of different engines. Additionally, it has been crashed and rebuilt and even had a massive fire in 2016. Even if you are familiar with this icon of American Muscle, you probably haven’t seen it in this format. As you can see from the photo above, Big Red was recently spotted wearing some new aero. While it isn’t the most optimal style choice, it definitely serves its purpose.
This footage comes courtesy of the 1320 Video Youtube channel and their coverage of the Indiana Airstrip Attack event from September 2021. If you aren’t familiar, Big Red is no joke. To really put that in your head, though, take this into consideration: right off of the trailer, it ran 214 MPH in a standing half-mile event. It’s old-school cool meets modern-day mayhem. Before we dive in too deep, though, let’s address the elephant sitting on top of the car.
What’s with the Wing?
Big Red’s owner RJ Gottlieb has all the answers.
“We’ve been messing around with the half-mile thing for quite a bit now. We’ve had issues with traction and gearing. So, about the best we’ve done is 203. That’s why we’re using the wing now, trying to get more traction,” says Gottlieb.
Undoubtedly you’ve seen vehicles use a wing before, but most of them don’t sit up this high. Furthermore, most aren’t mounted to the rear window, but luckily, science has an answer for that.
“The air at speed in this car goes really far over the car. To really get a lot of traction, they decided to put it really high up. I know it looks kind of funny,” says Gottlieb.
Additionally, he goes on to state that the wing makes over 1,500 pounds of downforce, and there’s more in it if they needed to add some. It’s certainly doing it’s job!
Power That Makes the Wing Necessary
Under the hood of Big Red lies a 555 cubic-inch all-aluminum big-block V8. It’s certainly no standard-issue Camaro engine! To sweeten the deal, its got methanol injection, and a Procharger supercharger setup. All said and done; this engine setup is making a remarkable 1,900 horsepower.
Now you see why the extra downforce is beneficial.
The sound of this car’s idle is something we can only describe as blissful. However, the scream this massive V8 makes as it’s blazing by at over 200 miles-per-hour is otherworldly. To really get the full effect, put on some headphones and watch the video below.
Also, if you’re interested in knowing more about the history of the iconic Camaro Big Red, check out their website. It’s a fantastic father-son tale that spans more than 30 years.
