iStockphoto / bizoo_n
Cars don’t need to go this fast. Truly. There’s no practical purpose for this. At least not outside of a racetrack. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t an absolute thrill to watch this record-breaking 1/4 mile run from a 1,500-horsepower Honda Civic.
The Tesla Model S P100D holds the current 0-to-60 record for the fastest production car. It reached 60mph in just 2.3 seconds and the future of that speed record is certainly in the electric car market. But in the aftermarket the possibilities are endless.
This car makes the quarter-mile run in only 7.45 seconds which is obscenely fast. It’s a Honda Civic! Civic’s should NOT be this fast. Not now. Not ever. But here we are. And I couldn’t be more impressed. This 15-minute clip breaks down the action but the record-breaking run comes just after the 3-minute mark:
The Civic’s power, of which there is a lot, comes courtesy of a custom-built 2.2-liter inline-four that has billet pistons, a Supertech valvetrain, and custom cams. A Garrett GTX50 76-mm turbo spins out 60 pounds of boost and a Motech ECU runs the whole lot. Getting all 1,500 horsepower to the ground is a challenge, especially for a front-drive car, so the Civic was converted to all-wheel drive and uses a four-speed dogbox in place of a regular manual transmission. (via The Drive)
Most Honda Civics cannot even go 0-to-60 miles-per-hour in 7.45 seconds and this car was able to do the full quarter-mile run in that time. Truly astonishing.
My primary problem with this vehicle is the paint job. This car looks straight-up hideous. It looks like the car you’d get in Stage 1 of an old school Need For Speed game. Just hideous.
For more on this record-breaking speed, you can head on over to The Drive.