#QuarterMile

What does the Acura NSX feel like blasting down a quarter-mile dragstrip? In one word, fierce.

The  Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was designed for the drag strip, and is taking a spot in the 11 second club after posting a quarter mile time of 11.93 seconds.

We promised we’d follow up on the Toyota Supra 2JZ-Powered Ford Mustang of Jaw’s Gear and Axle and we finally have some results in. Recently the vehicle was taken to Bakersfield for the SCE Summer Nationals at Famoso Raceway with no prior testing. Weighing in at 3,530 lbs, Jaw’s Gear and Axle opted to race in two different classes in order to get in as many runs as possible hoping to dial-in their Ford Mustang hybrid.

Running 9 seconds in the quarter mile is quite a feat for any sports car. It takes come serious modifications to get a Toyota Supra or Chevy Corvette to go that fast. And just recently we reported on th e first Nissan GT-R to break the 10 second barrier. So imagine how surprised we were to hear of a 9-second SUV. That’s right, a Jeep SRT8 has gone down the quarter mile with the quickest time of 9.658 and the fastest mph of 146.72.

The high performance version of Jeep’s Grand Cherokee, the SRT-8 sports a 6.1-liter Hemi V8 that pushes out 420-hp and 420 ft-lbs of torque from the factory. Stock 0-60 is under five seconds with a top speed of 150-mph. But hey, that means absolutely nothing for this SRT-8 that’s pushing close to the factory top speed in less than 10 seconds and in a mere quarter of a mile.

Built by Lewis Performance Machine, the SRT-8 sports a 426-stroker built to handle 1500 AWD horsepower. Details are naturally a little hard to find, but the owner reports the obvious: upgraded fuel system, drive line and rear end. He does let the public know that a 75-shot of NOS is used to help get the Jeep off the line while the trans brake and 2-step is still being tested. The beast is tuned by Johan at Diablo and rolls on Nitto NT05Rs on the stock rims.

The video after the jump shows the SRT-8 running a 9.87, which the owner claims is on 13 psi and the 75 shot. The 9.659 was with 16 psi and the 9.658 was at 19 psi with the boost tube blowing off. Naturally the Jeep SRT-8 had a lot more in it, given that its 9.658 pass was at a lowly 139.36 mph vs the 146.72 it hit with the 9.659 pass.

It should only be a matter of time before the SRT-8 hits Orlando Speedworld again, so we’ll keep you guys up to date if they enter the record books with an 8 second pass.

Make sure you check out the video after the break!

[Source: JeepGarage]

Imagine you are able to bring together some of humanity’s great minds for a dialogue, but you then end up having them give you their picks for who will win the World Series. Motor Trend‘s new video of a Lexus LFA drag racing a Nissan GTR is similarly anti-climactic and a little silly, but we can appreciate where Motor Trend is coming from.

Getting a press car comes with some obligations; including returning the car in the condition you found it, and in the case of very high end press cars like the Lexus LFA, a whole host of other rules accompany them. We understand that taking the $375,000 LFA on a road course might not be such a good idea, considering how there’s only one in the entire country, but the LFA and GT-R are two cars that are supposedly the pinnacle of performance driving, and a road course rather than a drag race would be the true test of what these two can do.

Regardless, the video is bound to cause a flurry of online shouting matches from various fanboy camps. In the mean time, us civilized folk should crank our speakers up to 11 an bask in the glorious V10 soundtrack, as its likely the closest that mere mortals will ever come to an LFA at full blast.

Video after the jump

[Source: Motor Trend via Youtube]

Sure the new Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro seem to be hogging up a lot of the spotlight, but let’s not forget about the new-body Dodge Challenger. We ran across this 9-second Dodge Challenger SRT8 on Jon Sibal’s Blog, with Jon recently taking an interest in the car due to a Challenger build he’s currently working on. This one really caught our eye, hitting the track with 9-second time slips and finding its way home the same way it came – without a trailer.

Mr. Norm’s Garage has a tradition of building a series of “legends” cars for the Challenger with each one having its own focus for a theme. This Legend X Challenger was to be a quarter-mile bruiser without sacrificing any of the daily driving amenities we all crave. Starting with the 6.1L HEMI engine, Mr. Norm’s Garage went to work overhauling it with a 2.8H Kennel Bell twin-screw supercharger, Dana rear-end, mini tubes to accept 13-inch slicks, 426 HEMI heads, cams, etc. Basically a complete overhaul of the powerplant and the vehicle from bumper to bumper to be a heavy-horsepower straight-line bullet, all tuned by MPH.

And a bullet it is, pushing out over 1,100-hp and tripping the lights at the end of the quarter mile at 9.574 @ 143.46mph. This was last year at the 2009 Mopar Nationals and as far as we know it still holds the record as the fastest modern Challenger and fastest LX platform (300C, Challenger, Charger) car. It will be interesting to see how well this Challenger does on its next time out on the track. Perhaps 8s isn’t too far away for this legend!

Check out the video of the 9-second pass after the jump:

GALLERY: Mr. Norm’s Legend X Challenger

[Source: Jon Sibal’s Blog]

Last year, Lingenfelter Performance Engineering announced its new Chevy Camaro Engine Packages bragging about major horsepower upgrades while maintaining daily-driving performance. A little less than a year later, Lingenfelter is lighting up the quarter-mile track, putting on a display with their own Chevy Camaro demo vehicle.

This Camaro packs a real punch, sporting a built LS9 supercharged V8 throwing down 855-hp. The motor has been reinforced with JE forged aluminum pistons while the head has been CNC ported with upgrade cams from LPE. At South Georgia Motorsports Park, the Camaro laid down several mid-to-low 10 second passes with a best of 10.36 @ 139.95 mph. This was done with the stock six-speed transmission.

This new generation of American muscle is capturing a whole new audience, with many previously devoted import fanatics looking at the new Chevy Camaro as a great platform to customize. If you need some inspiration, make sure to check out the video of Lingenfelter’s Camaro lighting up the track after the jump.

[Source: Autoblog]

The Nissan R35 GT-R is making a whole lot of news these days with aftermarket tuners really starting to make Porsche’s Nürburgring nemesis into something even more amazing. After conquering every twisted-track in the world, in true American fashion, different U.S.-tuners are turning the Japanese sports car into a straight line bullet. Late in March, AMS shattered the 9-second barrier with their GT-R, and much like everything else in drag racing, the record continues to fall as other tuners and builders come out of the woodwork with their projects.

AMS Performance, based out of West Chicago, IL are no strangers to the track. They have dominated all facets of motorsports from road racing to drag racing. They’re known for building some of the strongest engines known to mankind, perfecting their techniques across several makes and models. While the Nissan GT-R, much like many Porsche bodies, weren’t made for drag racing, some owners take the opportunity to shoot down the quarter mile at blistering speeds. Yes, the GT-R was made to carry itself through the winding twists of any road course, and at ridiculous times, but why can’t the GT-R be built for straight line drag racing?