Ford-Powered 1955 Chevy Tri-Five Has Sacrilege Written All Over, It's Quicker Than a Demon

Yup, these kinds of swaps are usually controversial and diehard fans are quick to label them as blasphemous. But Chevy-powered Mopars and Fords are more common than you think, especially at the drag strip. But I'm not here to advise which LS you should use in your Mustang. I want to show you a combo you don't see every day: a Ford-powered Chevy. And it's not just any bow-tie vehicle. You're about to witness a 1955 Tri-Five with a big-block V8 under the hood.

Spotted at Byron Raceway, this Tri-Five seems to be a nostalgia-style gasser. It rides on meaty racer tires and skinnies up front while the nose is slightly up into the air. It's also equipped with a parachute and a wheelie bar, while the exhaust pipes extend the entire length of the side skirts (unusually long for a dragster).

Unfortunately, the footage doesn't include info on the engine. We get a photo of the mill, but it's a highly modified powerplant that looks unlike anything you can order from Ford Performance as of June 2023. For reference, FoMoCo currently offers a 572-cubic-inch (9.4-liter) iron-block powerplant that cranks out 655 horsepower and 710 pound-feet of torque (963 Nm) before upgrades.

But this Chevy packs a larger and more powerful monster. And with that blower sitting high on top of the big-block V8, the rear tires must be spinning to the tune of more than 1,000 horsepower. Or powerful enough to push the 1955 Tri-Five past the quarter-mile in 8.65 seconds at almost 159 mph (256 kph). Yup, that's notably quicker than the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170. The world's most powerful factory muscle car covers the distance in 8.91 clicks at 151 mph (243 kph).

Unfortunately, the video below doesn't show the car's best run at the Hot Rod Drag Week, so you'll have to settle for a 9.49-second sprint at 97 mph (156 kph). There's some early breaking involved, but you'll still enjoy a cool wheelie at the starting line. And this run is still about a tenth-second quicker than a standard Challenger Demon.

All told, this Tri-Five, called Twister 55, is pretty much a "Black Widow" for the drag strip. It's loud, nasty, and a joy to watch. It's also proof that we shouldn't hate cross-marque engine swaps, regardless of what brands they bring together. Check it out in the video below.