This is one of those questions with a scope about as wide as the Pacific Ocean so it should spark some good debate. Yesterday we were watching the live feed of the Lights Out race from Georgia, checking in on the NHRA audio cast from Phoenix, the NASCAR stuff in Daytona, and the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational television show which aired on MAVTV. Watching all of this varied racing got us to thinking about the accomplishments of racers over the last 100 years or so. From the guys who were able to break speed barriers in the 50-60mph range on the sands on Ormand Beach in Florida right up to the Thrust SSC effort of Richard Noble and the entire United Kingdom which was the team that broke the sound barrier in a “car” a few years back there have been barriers broken that no one thought possible with more to fall in the future. But we’re not just stuck on land speed stuff. It is impossible to ignore the breaking of the 300mph barrier in drag racing on the quarter mile, the massive speeds that NASCAR competitors attained before restrictor plates became the order of the day, the continuously dropping lap records at road courses around the world due to technological advancements in tires and suspension components, etc all need to be considered. Then there’s the other side of the coin…the street side.
We live in a time where cars are about as big and heavy as they have ever been and by and large they emit miniscule amounts of pollution as compared to previous generations, they get fuel economy that the majority of cars couldn’t get just a few years back, and our perception of what a “good performing” car has been warped by sub compacts that’ll eat up vintage muscle cars off the factory floor and mini-vans that can beat some of the great sports cars of their day around an autocross course. Hell, today’s pickup trucks out perform some “sports car” from the 1960s and 1970s in almost every respect.
So, you have to consider the entire automotive universe when answering. No sweat, right?
BangShift Question Of The Day: What’s The Most Significant Automotive Performance Accomplishment?
I’m gonna have to say cup holders.
That’s like asking what’s my favorite food, tough question!
I’ll just plead the fifth.
That’s easy. George Poteet’s Speed Demon. Fastest piston powered, wheel driven vehicle ever. 439.024 MPH record and has run as fast as 462 MPH one way. 2300 HP turbocharged Ken Duttweiler Generation 1 small block Chevy. Blown Hemis and LS motors can’t touch it! Thrust II is jet powered. Wheel driven Turbinator is turbine powered. Poteet’s car fills the bill in spades. Wheel driven, 4 wheels, piston powered, unchallenged at this point with more than 30 runs over 400 MPH! just sayin’
Just in case any of you guys are in the UK the Thrust SSC is on display at the Coventry Transport museum. Lots of exhibits and best of all it is free entry
The HEMI engine.
let’s not forget we actually drove a “car” on the MOON! Ultimate off road.
self starters or automatic transmissions. Lets opposite sex and wimps (read—MOST GUYS) drive
Breaking the 4 second 1/4 mile
Electronic fuel injection.
75Duster and Lee stole my thunder.
Vic Edelbrock Sr figuring out how to sucessfully combust Nitromethane in a piston driven engine.
Mainly due to Budweiser’s incessant advertising at an impressionable age, the first one that comes to mind is “300 mph…. The Barrier”
The most significant has got to be Mach 1 on wheels. Now the sound barrier has been broken on land, I just don’t see any point in trying to go faster than that.