It happened yesterday at Orlando Speed World Dragway. Jeff Lutz punched his “Mad Max” Camaro down the quarter mile drag strip at the facility in 5.87 at a speed of 251.30mph. By doing that, Lutz has grabbed the title of quickest street legal car in history away from Larry Larson who had set the mark at 5.89 last year in Las Vegas. As you will see in the video below, the run was nice and clean with the car working well down the race track, particularly early on in the run when it plants and loads the big rear slicks.
The car had a 1.011 60′ time on this run which was not the quickest it had laid down in Orlando. The Camaro had been below one second over the course of the five runs and Lutz whittled his elapsed time down from the low 6-second zone, and systematically though the 5.90s before really landing a big punch with the 5.87/251.30 home run pass.
When looking over the time slips from the runs, the 5.87 stands out in the tuning department because it seems as though it was among the more conservative front half attacks that the car made during the testing session. The eighth mile speed was down a couple of numbers as compared to other runs with the car making 193mph at 660-feet but the elapsed time of 3.96 to that point was the best of the bunch. In short, they stuck the tire pretty hard and the track held onto it. He had to have known he was on a good ride pretty early on in this one!
So the natural question now is when the next retaliatory salvo will be fired, right? Larry Larson has shipped the Nova and the S10 truck to Australia so the next time we will see/here from the Larson camp they will be laying down some numbers in that country. Andy Frost has been doggedly chasing parts and making upgrades to the Red Victor 3 and he’ll be getting after it in Bahrain before too long as well. Tom Bailey? We’re not sure of his plans but something tells us that he and pal Steve Morris will get cabin fever over the course of the winter and find a drag strip to stretch the legs of Sick Seconds 2.0 before the winter is up.
Jeff Lutz becomes the second street legal vehicle to run in the 5.80s as Larry Larson ran 5.89 last year at the Street Car Super Nationals in Las Vegas.
Lots of people hate the idea of this being considered a “street” car, it has driven thousands of miles on public roads, has all of the necessary legal paperwork to meet the rules here in the USA, and frankly we think Lutz kinda likes the chatter that arises when the car does stuff like winning Drag Week or setting these unofficial world records.
Mad Max sits atop the heap right now. As you well know, when you’re king of the mountain, lots of guys get inspired to push you off. Who’ll try first?
Glad to live in likely the only developed country in the world where you could get away with driving something like that on the street. Try it in Australia, for example…
Like to know in WHAT country is this car street legal?
This one.
http://st.hotrod.com/uploads/sites/21/2015/09/057-Lutz-Vs-Bailey-Drag-Week-2015.jpg
Like to see how it behaves in rush hour traffic. Or when it starts to rain. Highway miles are not really “public roads”. Is a front license plate not mandatory? Don’t see any wiper blades. How quiet is it? Passes all state noise laws? Has working tail lights and signal lights?
its been in rain, has all required equipment, and turbos are the best mufflers made
Lots of states consider 25-35 yrs old a classic. Don’t need much of an inspection if any in some states.
Great car and appreciate it for racing, but no way could it be inspected and licensed in Denver Colorado. It it could I would build myself a Pro Mod!
I would bet they have to get a special permit for the event. There is no way they are street legal regardless of what equipment they have, Do they have a factory vin #. License plates
LOTS of insurance for the event…..
People want freedom yet complain because this car can be driven on the street. Stop crying. I just finished a street legal promod for dragweek, and going to love that we can drive a full on racecar on the street
Could drive that baby around Montana in the summer no trouble. We don\’t live in an over regulated state like you poor suckers. I even leave my slicks on even.
Cue the haters? Really? So tired of the “haters ” card being played. It’s like the “racist” card and both are worn to a frazzle. So the author is telling you if you don’t agree with his opinion and might choose an opposing position why then you deserve the label “hater” .
In this case I guess if you want to expand the definition of a street car to this extreme then fine. Sorry I don’t agree with your definition. I know it’s in your best business interests to play along with this stuff but you can do it without alienating people. People have had enough of this type of crap even in jest. C’mon Brian
Not saying that at all.
A good reasoned debate is great. This is a polarizing issue among guys and girls.
Someone spewing off at the mouth like a dolt is what I would classify as a hater.
I wasn’t going to say anything about it and I’m not going to have a nervous breakdown or anything from it, but my first impression was it’s unnecessary and kind of sets a combative tone if someone disagrees and for the record I don’t consider a carbon fiber body pro mod car that someone has, from somewhere found a vin tag and title and managed to get a license plate and insurance for it to be a street car.
Well,Well,Well, i guess for the people that do not understand or do not like these cars not much we can do but what i can say is been a fan for many years,followed them this year for several days and will go to Dragweek next year met Jeff Lutz this year nice friendly guy but what you do not see is these people will not take no,failure,or loss lightly this year Jeff Lutz froze all night long waiting for a spindle to arrive in the morning (see video),not sleeping for several nights etc… Believe me these guys are in a different mind set and never stop fighting to finish the week hats off and i am proud to be one of them…
Just because it’s not legal where you are doesn’t mean it’s not legal anywhere else.
It’s called knowing the rules better than the guy enforcing them.
Well at the risk of sounding like I’m spewing off at the mouth I didn’t think that the “cue the haters ” title to this story was inviting “reasoned debate”. Unless the definition of reasoned debate is agreeing with Brian’s opinion.
Brian, I love your website. I’m on it everyday. But don’t try to tell us what we are if we don’t think a certain way. Your stories are excellent. Writing is not only very good but funny as heck.
Ask Larry about the
Nova being caught in a snow storm coming back from out of town around one certain Christmas.The Nova being an almost all steel brick really cant go any faster safely cause of carrying the front tires through the beams.That same setup in a better body could go faster.Remember Larry has been driving the Nova on the streets all over the place since 1988!
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Lots of comments.
I’m just curious about the range of this street car. It probably has a small fuel cell I’m guessing. Probably burns more than a gallon in the quarter.
Are we talking about a car that needs to be refilled every 5 city blocks?
To run Drag week every year you have to do a 300 mile road trip overnight for 4 days in a row, about 1200 miles in 5 days, most of them (I’m assuming Lutz, too) have 2 fuel cells, the 20 gallon street cell and the 2 or 3 gallon race cell.
As much as everyone likes to bitch about these cars street-ability there are not a lot of 9,10 and 11 second cars that can do a 1200 mile road trip at all.
Licensed, inspected, and insured from Pennsylvania. Additionally….it runs on pump gas.
Brian , maybe assemble all the behind the scenes , road / street, checkpoint , parking lot-gas station-roadside mechanical emergency repairs videos and stills feature highlighted as “The Making of Drag Week “. Maybe the folks that have never been there , can start to understand what it takes to drive a 5-6-7—15 second hod rod on all the streets, highways , small town country roads etc. that are taken over the “Week”,and survive a day/night , checkpointed , shadowed , observed , Poker Run with a Drag race thrown in EVERY day. Here’s to “The Survivors ” !
In the postwar 40’s guys drove their roadsters to the dry lakes from so-cal.Take the Lights and windshield off, convert carbs to alcohol and start racing. Isn’t Mr Lutz doing the same thing?
If anyone wants them, Ive got top end video of him flying by on each of his 5.87, 5.86, and 5.85 passes. It was awesome to watch in person. The car rocks, Lutz is a great dude, and he flew this weekend.
I hav been drag racing since the 60″s and wished the announcers would say a drivers name and there car type engine size and maybe type of parts like holly race pak moser brodix back halfed and sponsors maybe instead of math quotes What I hear is left lane dials 455 right lane 453 left lane dead6 take 5 minus 8 plus 2 divided by 12 thou gives u a three thou pak that is just an example.Camaro vs mustang big block vs small block wheelies, hole shot,
Every driver and their families and sponsors deserve to hear there name! So please all announcers take this into consideration Thank you!