LS powered Cars at Bonneville Speed Week
Plenty of LS powered rides achieved ludicrous speed at the Bonneville salt flats this year. Here are just a few of them.
1. Mission Garage's "Spirit of Valmist"
Adding to the F-Body tally was this third generation Firebird, campaigned by Mission Garage in the A/GC class and dubbed the "Spirit of Valmist" (whatever that means). Regardless of its name origin, the red bird achieved a best run of 172.019 mph, which is quite a bit better than it was capable of in stock form, though down from teh 200+ MPH record in this class.
2. Alpine Sunbeam
Bonneville rides don't get much cooler (or much more unique) than this Frankenstein-like Alpine Sunbeam dressed up to look like a mini 1955 Chevy Bel Air. The mashup classic roadster used its Chevy power to achieve a best run of 158.567 mph at this year's Speed Week. Not too shabby for a car that lacks a top, windshield, or anything else other than a rollbar above the beltline.
3. Chevy Monza
Chevrolet's Monza isn't exactly a car that most folks think about when building a hot rod these days, but they're rather popular among the Bonneville set thanks to their streamlined exterior and V8 sized engine compartment. This forgettable 70's model certainly stands out from the crowd with Chevy power and a rather loud paint job. Unfortunately, we don't have any speed information on this car, but other Monzas hold records in a lot of classes.
4. Never Paid 4 Racing Chevrolet Camaro
Lest you think there are no "normal" cars and powerplants at Bonneville, let us introduce you to Never Paid 4 Racing's Chevrolet Camaro. The 3rd gen F-body may not look as crazy as most of the other "cars" on the salt, but it still achieved a rather respectable run of 169.147 mph.
5. Speed Demon
The Speed Demon, owned by George Poteet, currently holds the record as the FIA-certified world's fastest piston engine land vehicle. The team has already achieved a top speed of 436.067 mph, but as the car's name might suggest, they want more and aim to hit the 450 mph mark in their blown Fuel streamliner. To get there, they've got a brand new 441ci LS-based power plant. The new engine is built on a Gen III Dart graphite iron race block, with Race Series 10-degree LS canted-valve heads. At this year's Bonneville Speed Week, Poteet didn't quite reach his goal, posting a 438.643 mph pass, but we wouldn't bet against 'em.
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