There’s a beauty to this video that gearheads will get an most others will totally not understand. Whether it is the vastness of the setting that the car is racing through, whether is is the massive column of dust rising behind the 1953 Studebaker being driven by Brandon Leggitt, or whether it is the noise of the motor churning the deeply geared axle or what but we watched this several times and just soaked it all in. If you are familiar with the land speed racing world, especially the SCTA, you know the Leggitt family name. Les has been at it since the early 1960s, he has been president of the SCTA multiple times, he is a noted engine builder that has built the power for some of the fastest cars in the history of the realm, and this Sutdebaker is their newest effort. At the final El Mirage meet of the season, the car made its first appearance and by the time the dust literally settled it had run 231mph setting a new record in the B/BCFALT (B-motor/Blown Classic Fuel Altered) class) with son Brandon driving.
Now, the part you have been waiting for. What engine was making all that great noise? How about a blown 426ci hemi on a 90% load of nitro. That’s right, you are going to listen to that nitro burning hemi lay down as much power as Brandon wants as he works to keep the car as “stuck” as possible to a surface which is more tricky than anything you can imagine. El Mirage’s fine silt-like dirt is packed down and looks nice to walk on but when you start putting power to it, there’s real skill involved to get the most speed possible out of a car as well as keeping said car moving in the correct direction at the same time it is clawing for any semblance of traction.
We’ve included a photo of the car below the video so you can see what it looks like up close. Press play and listen to it play the sweetest song in motorsports. A hemi on nitro with the throttle decked for longer than any drag racer could ever imagine? That’s right. Land Speed Racing rules!
PRESS PLAY BELOW TO SEE BRANDON LEGGITT HAMMER THE FAMILY’S NEW 1953 STUDEBAKER DOWN THE EL MIRAGE COURSE AT OVER 230 –
Photo: Brandon Leggit’s FB
I was at the starting line when they made this run. The car sounded like ti wasn’t even working hard during the run but you can hear the car getting loose a few times in second and third gear. Les Liggitt has a long history of building land speed Hemi’s. He built quite a few of the engines that were used in the Burke Bros Avanti. A car I was privileged to drive to fulfill my 47 year old dream of racing a Studebaker at Bonneville. The late Andy Granatelli planted the dream in my mind in 1963 and while it took years to bring to reality it was a journey worth traveling. Wish I had that engine in it when I drove it. Might have been even more fun than it was.
Les Liggitt is a friend of my dads – I’ve heard of his exploits since I was very young… it’s cool seeing him getting some print