Forget what you think the lines are between a race car a real street car, because Larry Larson's Pepto-pink Chevy II blurs them all. The first time he attended Drag Week, in 2005, Larry had a practice of showing up, making one 8-second run, then packing up and leaving. We were so sure he was cheating that Editor Kinnan shadowed him to make sure there wasn't a trailer waiting somewhere. There wasn't. Larry just knew what the car could do, and once he had his number, he was satisfied. He did the same thing in 2007 with the same combination: a 14-71 atop a 555ci big-block Chevy backed by a Lenco, netting a best e.t. of 8.08 and winning the title of Quickest Without a Trailer. This year, Larry returned with the car's most radical drivetrain to date-still 555 ci but now built by Mike Moran with two big Precision Turbo 88mm turbos-and still no trailer.
Actually, it goes beyond that. Larry brought only a few spare parts and typically made little or no adjustments to the car between runs. He'd just roll in, unpack the trunk, make a low-8- or high-7-second run, pull around to the pits, pack back up, and take off whenever he was ready. Yes, you read that correctly; he drove the car hundreds of miles between tracks exactly as he raced it, running the same pair of ET Streets he ran in 2007. Tell us that's not a street car.
It's also perfectly civil in the real world. That's not hearsay, either; Associate Editor Campbell actually did a 90-mile stint behind the wheel. Admittedly, the gaggle of shifters sprouting from the floorpan looks mighty intimidating, especially if it's your first time with a Lenco, but it's all bluff. The clutch only comes into play with First gear to get the car rolling. After that, you just grab 'n' pull your way to Fifth. It couldn't be easier or more fun. Acceleration isn't so much pushing your foot down as it is flexing your toe. The power comes on smooth and linear, like a jet taking off on a short runway.
Other than the tube chassis, fiberglass hood, and carbon-fiber floorpan, this thing is pretty much all Chevy, as the body is 100 percent original steel and glass right down to the bumpers. The suspension is smooth, balanced, and handles large bumps with ease. Honestly, it drives better than many muscle cars we've been in, and the handling isn't twitchy or temperamental at all. If you didn't know better, you'd never know you weren't running on big drag radials and skinnies. At 80 mph on the freeway, Campbell had one hand on the wheel and the other arm extended through the Funny Car 'cage and resting on the top of the door with a coffee stuck between his legs, while Larry lounged in the passenger seat, made a couple of phone calls, then kicked back and rested. And Campbell was wearing shorts and flip-flops the whole time. It's a cruiser and possibly the most legit street car that's ever won Drag Week. Believe it.
So why is it pink, you ask? Because it can be. It takes a secure car to wear pink, and this one has nothing to prove. This Chevy II is what every preposterously overbuilt Pro Streeter is pretending to be, and that's why it walked away handily with the title of America's Fastest Street Car.
...
>>next page