People are drag racing just about anything with four wheels these days. Factory-stock gasoline sedans? Production EVs? Diesel trucks? We've seen them all at the drag strip. But I bet you haven't seen a Jeep run the quarter-mile on off-road tires yet. In case you already did, I bet you haven't seen one run this quick.
So what do we have here exactly? Well, this is obviously a pre-Wrangler Jeep on fat, mud-spec tires. Based on the stance and the front-end design, we're looking at a CJ-7. As for the tires, this Jeep is riding on Mickey Thompson Baja MTZ rubber, advertised to deliver "versatile mud terrain performance" by the American company.
So are mud tires any good for drag strip racing? Well, it's definitely best to hit the quarter-mile on drag slicks, as they're supposed to provide optimum traction for off-the-line sprints. While inappropriate for such activities, mud terrain tires aren't all that awful. After all, they're designed to offer good traction on the road too. And based on the footage below, the Jeep doesn't seem to struggle while taking off the line.
The tires actually seem surprisingly grippy, helping the Jeep get in front of a Ford Mustang GT when the lights go green. The CJ driver's ET is slower than the Mustang's at the finish line, but he still scores an impressive 12.4-second run.
The Jeep runs quicker in the second race, this time around against a Chevrolet Camaro. After a perfect start, the CJ stops the clock at 12.17 seconds, narrowly missing a win against the muscle car, which scores a 12.09-click sprint.
The third race sees the old Jeep go against a Chevrolet Trailblazer SS. The CJ loses again with a 12.49 sprint as the Chevy takes the flag in 12.38 seconds. Not impressed? Well, this Jeep is actually much quicker than that. Its final and solo run ends with an 11.66-second ET, quick enough to smoke all of the vehicles above. It also charges up to 108 mph (174 kph), more than any factory-built CJ-7.
Needless to say, this isn't a stock Jeep. The "383 stroker" decals on the front hood suggest that this CJ-7 packs a 6.3-liter V8, an engine that's notably bigger than the stock 5.0-liter AMC V8. There's also a Chevrolet logo on the front fender, which probably means that the V8 under the hood is an LS or some other crate engine from the bow-tie brand.
Whatever the case, this is one hot Jeep! Check it out in the video below.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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