10 Coolest Cars from PRI That Aren't Just for Show
The Performance Racing Industry’s plethora of performance parts and innovative tools attracted masses of motor heads to the Indianapolis Convention Center last weekend, December 6-8. To properly display their products and attract attention, manufacturers brought in performance vehicles of all kinds. The type of car depended on the kind of products offered, so we have a lot to show you. Here are ten out of the hundreds of cars that caught our eye.
1. Red Dragon 2.0
Team Nitto driver Loren Healy pilots one of the fastest off-road vehicles, the Red Dragon 2.0, in Ultra4 competitions. The beast got a good cleaning before appearing at the MBRP Exhaust booth for all to see. Its Nitto Trail Grapplers stand hip-high and are clearly made to withstand even the most demanding environments.
2. Hot Rod Drag Week Celebrity Appearance
Celebrity appearances include cars, too, like this Top Alcohol-powered 1957 Chevy wagon seen on Hot Rod Drag Week, driven by NHRA drivers Jonnie Lindberg and Richie Crampton. Powering the car is a supercharged Noonan 521-inch Top Alcohol engine, and the drivetrain is from none other than a Top Alcohol Funny Car. Per Drag Week rules, this 5,000+ hp monster is street legal.
3. One Badmaro
Since Alex Taylor’s Badmaro is equipped with twin 69/73mm Borg-Warner turbos, it only made sense for Borg-Warner to display it proudly at their booth. This eight-second streetcar has made headlines on Hot Rod. Beyond the turbos is a 427 tall-deck LSX block with Crower internals capable of handling over 2,000hp, all controlled through a Holley Dominator EFI system.
4. BMW E30 Meets M50
Speed Academy’s Dmitry Voronov displayed his 900whp road racer at the Spintric booth. The opened engine bay, angular BMW nose and wide front splitter worked like a high-strength magnet to attract us. Despite being an E30, the BMW has an M50-based engine. Check out Dmitry Voronov’s YouTube channel to hear the sounds.
5. The Third Stinky Pinky
Moser Engineering had “Stinky Pinky Three” front-and-center in their display. The 1966 Chevelle puts a whole new meaning to “pretty in pink” with its supercharged 557 ci big-block Chevy engine. This car is the third in a collection of brilliant pink speed machines that belong to “Disco Dan” Darns.
6. Build on a Budget
You may recognize this 1986 Ford Fox-body Mustang GT from the Horsepower Wars $10k Drag Shootout led by Power Automedia. “Beer Money” is the highest-horsepower car built with the least amount of cash on this list. Team Bigun put their money toward what really counts. A Borg-Warner 75mm cast wheel turbo is mated to the LS engine. All fine-tuning is done with a Holley Performance EFI system using a Holley HP engine control module.
7. Black Storm
Black Storm, the Can Jam Motorsports Subaru, dropped jaws at the Motovicity booth. The Unlimited Time-Attack car (and possibly the sexiest Subaru in the world) was the Speed Ring overall winner and the Super Lap Battle overall winner for 2018.
8. A Mitsubishi What?
Mikie Sorrell’s home-built 1987 Mitsubishi Starion was a rare sight, but thanks to Safecraft Safety Equipment, we found it in all its beautiful boxy glory. Under the hood is a 512whp BorgWarner turbocharged Toyota 1JZ-GTE engine.
9. Fastest Four-Cylinder
PRI is the only place you can see Jett Racing’s Datsun 1200 drag truck sitting still. This is the world’s quickest four-cylinder powered car, reaching 229 mph and crossing timebox at 6.20 seconds in the quarter-mile. It was a model at the Mainline Dynolog Dynameters booth and won PRI’s Masters Of Motors “Boosted” award at the expo.
10. The Ghost
The Ghost, a 850+ hp Pikes Peak Hill Climb car, was named for its pearl-white paint. It resembles a modified 1960s hot rod, but the mechanics and electronics are state-of-the-art, including the built Chevy SB2 engine and GT-1000 dual element rear wing.
