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Can Street Cars Really Perform? OUSCI Proves It!

2014-OUSCI-Optima-Ultimate-StreetCar-Invitational-19 There’s a stereotype that street cars, even high-performance production cars, aren’t really performers. And typical of many stereotypes, there’s a shred of truth to it. The early Corvettes and pony cars, for example, went fast only in straight lines. God save you if you entered a corner too hot; you were guaranteed a one-way trip out the backside of the turn, often backwards. Street cars just couldn’t fulfill the promise that their manufacturers made. But that changed over the past generation. For one, manufacturers started putting their engineering where their mouths were. For another, a lot of that engineering clout, disenchanted with the corporate world, trickled into the aftermarket. So not only are new vehicles truly capable of incredible things,  modified ones are capable of even more than high-end exotics. In fact some old sedans perform better than their purpose-bred sports cars. Sometimes a lot better. 2014-OUSCI-Optima-Ultimate-StreetCar-Invitational-35 Recognizing the potential that modified production cars could truly perform, a number of industry professionals and enthusiasts formed a sanctioning body giving modified, road-legal cars and trucks a more dynamic forum to flex their muscle. With that the Ultimate Street Car Association was born. 2014-OUSCI-Optima-Ultimate-StreetCar-Invitational-08 Entries endure five points of scrutiny. Design and engineering rate an entry’s innovation, detailing, and construction quality. A non-competitive road-rally stage (to Shelby American this year no less) determines an entry’s ability to navigate public roads. A speed-stop sprint evaluates the time an entry takes to accelerate, negotiate tight turns, and stop at a designated point. An autocross measures the time it takes for an entry to navigate a course made of tight turns and straightaways. The road-course leg is self explanatory: it measures how well entries can lap a sports-car track. 2014-OUSCI-Optima-Ultimate-StreetCar-Invitational-18 The USCA consists of a series of 10 annual races in various locations around the country. This year’s tour consisted of Salinas, CA; Fort Worth, TX; Daytona, FL; Fontana, CA; Elkhard Lake, WI; Madison, IL; Portland, OR; Brooklyn, MI; Sebring, FL; and Wampum, PA. The organization then hosts an invitational event that immediately follows the annual SEMA trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada. 2014-OUSCI-Optima-Ultimate-StreetCar-Invitational-32 Though it’s not the event’s first time in Las Vegas it’s the event’s first time at this particular venue. In years past a small, private racecourse an hour west of Las Vegas hosted the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational. This year, however, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a racing facility northeast of Las Vegas, hosted. In case you haven’t heard of it, the complex contains an NHRA-sanctioned drag strip, a 1.5-mile Superspeedway for NASCAR and IndyCar events, a 2.4-mile road course, a half-mile clay oval, and a 3/8-mile paved oval. The event occupies two fields for its three speed contests: a paddock for the autocross, a segment of the road course for the acceleration/stop contest, and the full road course. 2014-OUSCI-Optima-Ultimate-StreetCar-Invitational-53 The event has two noteworthy features beyond its dynamic test of hot rods. These new and old muscle cars, hot rods, pickups, a couple station wagons, and even a dune buggy and a Pinto go head-to-head with some of the most exotic creatures on four wheels, cars you’re not so likely to see in the flesh much less hashing it out in real racing. Mercedes-Benz SLS? Check. Porsche GT3RS? Got one of those too. Cadillac CTS V? Why not? Lambo Gallardo? What kind of event would it be without one? And the Nissan GT-R? Got four of ’em. And to substantiate the notion that hot rods can perform as well, this year’s Don Ridler Memorial Award winner, the most prestigious show-car title in the land, took to the track. And there are more than 90 such extraordinary examples. 2014-OUSCI-Optima-Ultimate-StreetCar-Invitational-33 The other really cool thing is that the event is open to the public. Simply pay an entry fee—one that’s not prohibitively expensive by racing standards—and witness the event from the same perspectives enjoyed by the participants. Sure it’s a bit tough to obtain credentials for the SEMA Show itself, the only real logical reason to go to Las Vegas the first week of November. However, if you’re one of the lucky few who gets to attend, make a point to stay two days after the show proper. The OUSCI is a spectacle definitely worth dropping in for, until next year enjoy the gallery below. www.driveusca.com id 28651
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