Sure, it looks like KITT, and is probably shorter in person, but this 1987 Pontiac Trans Am is no movie star.
No, it’s more akin to the stuntman that shows up, gets the job done, and then goes home to the family without expecting any kind of star treatment.
That’s because this rather stock looking car (when the hood’s down at least) from Polly Motorsports of Norway is officially Europe’s fastest street-legal car, with a verified top speed of 252 mph on the Papenburg test track in Germany. Plus, according to the builders, it was just getting warmed up when they set that record, and they expect to see speeds in excess of 270 mph once they have a chance to stretch its legs back in the US.
Power comes from an 8.9L V8 that has been supercharged to produce 1407 horsepower, and the result (in addition to the top speed) is a 0-62 mph time of just 2.23 seconds.
A custom-made coilover suspension keeps things planted, a 9” Ford axle tries not to explode when the go pedal is pressed, and 14” brakes slow everything down once the fun is over. Other than the hood scoop though, the exterior looks rather civilized, and it’s only when you pop the hood of the best do you realize that it’s no ordinary Trans Am.
No need to worry if you see this car in your rear view mirror though, because it probably won’t be there for long.
Don Stellhorn’s 1964 Pontiac GTO could be called Beauty and the Beast. Though outside it’s all flashy paint with a show quality shine, inside it’s all business, and this car is made to go.
After buying the car for $1,100, Don and his dad set out to restore and build a car that Don could learn to drive in, but as Don’s interest in racing grew, he soon began to push the limits.
Unfortunately, the limits pushed back, and Don wrecked the car at nearly 80 mph after loosing the breaks going into a turn at Summit Point Motorsports Park in West Virginia.
Faced with the decision to scrap the car and call it a day or rebuild from the ground up, Don decided to build the car the way he had always dreamed, and ended up with the masterpiece you see before you.
Featuring three-piece one-off wheels from Complete Custom Wheel (the suspension what literally build around the wheel choice, instead of the other way around), a beefed up braking system to prevent repeat mishaps, a fully customized suspension system (Don took a job at SLP just so he could play with their metal working toys), a hand built body that Don himself created (everything but the roof and the quarter-panels is new), a full roll cage, 430 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque from the 455 cubic inch, and a custom Muncie M-22 transmission, this goat is made to race.
And race it he does, as Don himself says, “Some people are surprised that I race it because the car is so nice and would be hard to fix if it were wrecked. I may have a few moments in the pits or on the line where I worry about the car, but once I’m out on the track, my mind is on the race. If you took my pulse right now, it would probably be higher than when I’m racing.”
Well there’s no surprise here Don, because if I had a car like that, I don’t think you could drag me off of the track either.
Sure, they did it in 3 Fast 3 Furious, but no one actually puts a new engine into old muscle; do they?
Well apparently they do, because the ’72 Pontiac LeMans that you see here is powered by none other than a 1991 Toyota Supra 7M-GTE 3.0 Litre 24V Turbo motor.
Apparently the car was basically a total loss when it was purchased at auction, so it’s not like they chopped up some pristine iron to make this creation, but I’m still not sure if I can wrap my head around how they decided that this was their best bet for power.
I guess if the go pedal works though, it doesn’t exactly matter what it’s connected to.
With a name like the Top Tuner Solstice, how can this not be featured on Tuner Tuesday?
Answer: It can’t.
This Top Tuner Solstice is the end result of five of the best tuners in the industry, a blank canvas, and a blank check.
With an estimated street value of $500,000, you know that no expense was spared [...]
Rhys Millen isn’t good at going straight.
Rhys Millen is good, however, at going sideways. And he’s good at doing it very, very, very quickly.
Lucky for Rhys, there are two driving sports that don’t require much forward momentum: drifting and hill climbing. And also lucky for Rhys, he’s a god of both.
Why then did he give [...]
