Photo: DragZine
If I had a penny for each time I said the 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air is an automotive design icon, I'd have just enough to buy the real deal. But I need to say it again, just so I can point out that this car is so cool that it looks really amazing in a drag-racing suit. And I'm not talking about a nostalgia gasser, but a full-blown outlaw-class racer. With them big blowers, pipes, and rear fender wings.
The heavily chopped Bel Air you're looking at wasn't built on U.S. soil. This monster revs and spits flames in Australia, where Supercharged Outlaw racer Jack Danaher put it together to achieve six-second quarter-mile times and eventually to make a jump to the Pro Mod class.
Danaher and his wife Lisa have been racing in the Supercharged Outlaws class for quite a few years now. And they've driven numerous cars in the process, including a 2004 Chevrolet Corvette dragster they imported from the U.S. The Vette that once belonged to Mike Maggio helped Danaher ran 6.40s at 218 mph (351 kph).
That's a really high bar for his new Bel Air, but Jack is confident that it will run six-second sprints given the extensive upgrades that went in it. Like any serious Outlaw, this car packs a Hemi under the hood. The 7.4-liter V8 is a full-blown custom build, featuring a short-deck TFX block, a Callies crank, BME connecting rods, and BAE cylinder heads.
A Waterman Lil Bertha fuel pump pushes methanol into the engine, while a LencoDrive three-speed gearbox routes the oomph to the rear wheels. Jack did not disclose how powerful the Bel Air is, but we're looking at a four-figure rating and it's most likely in excess of 2,000 horsepower.
This mean Bel Air has yet to be filmed on the track, but hopefully we'll get to see it running at full blast soon. Based on these photos provided by Drag Zine, it looks like a real-life Hot Wheels car that might just break the sound barrier.
Danaher and his wife Lisa have been racing in the Supercharged Outlaws class for quite a few years now. And they've driven numerous cars in the process, including a 2004 Chevrolet Corvette dragster they imported from the U.S. The Vette that once belonged to Mike Maggio helped Danaher ran 6.40s at 218 mph (351 kph).
That's a really high bar for his new Bel Air, but Jack is confident that it will run six-second sprints given the extensive upgrades that went in it. Like any serious Outlaw, this car packs a Hemi under the hood. The 7.4-liter V8 is a full-blown custom build, featuring a short-deck TFX block, a Callies crank, BME connecting rods, and BAE cylinder heads.
A Waterman Lil Bertha fuel pump pushes methanol into the engine, while a LencoDrive three-speed gearbox routes the oomph to the rear wheels. Jack did not disclose how powerful the Bel Air is, but we're looking at a four-figure rating and it's most likely in excess of 2,000 horsepower.
This mean Bel Air has yet to be filmed on the track, but hopefully we'll get to see it running at full blast soon. Based on these photos provided by Drag Zine, it looks like a real-life Hot Wheels car that might just break the sound barrier.
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