5 Ways of Chasing Speed at Airstrip Attack
As we saw in our gallery from Shift S3ctor's recent Airstrip Attack at the Coalinga Municipal Airport, half-mile roll racing events are continuing to grow in popularity—and each event brings out an incredible variety of cars.
When it comes to high horsepower runway battles, there are many different weapons to choose from. Here are a few of the most common cars on the runway, along with one off-the-wall build that caught everyone's attention.
Exotic Pedigree
From a pure sensory standpoint, one of the best things about Airstrip Attack are the exotic cars. Sure, you can see them crawling around on the highway or parked on the streets of Beverly Hills, but roll racing events are where they're allowed to run free.
Among the exotics running this time around were several Lamborghinis, including a pair of Huracáns, a handful of Audi R8s and a small group of McLarens, including a brand new 720S painted in an electric orange color.
While you can certainly take an exotic to the drag strip, some would argue a quarter mile isn't enough to contain one of these machines. That's certainly the feeling you get when watching them roll through the half-mile marker at speeds in the 200MPH neighborhood.
If there's one bad thing about owning an exotic car, it's the lack of places to enjoy one without getting thrown in jail. Airstrip Attack is the perfect place to let it rip without fear of the law. If I were fortunate enough to own one of these things, this would be a must-do event.
Corvette Mania
Few car models are more popular among the roll racing crowd than the late-model Chevrolet Corvette. C5, C6 and C7 Corvettes are easily some of the most common cars at Airstrip Attack and among the group are a variety of builds from mild street cars to full race machines.
There were several brand new showroom-fresh Corvette Z06s with the owners hoping to see what kind of numbers their supercharged V8s would reach at the end of the half-mile. Or, if you prefer naturally aspirated V8s, there were plenty of of big-cammed C6s banging gears down the runway also.
But of all the Corvettes in attendance, none were crazier than Morris Malone's heavily modified C6 built by Caliber Customs. It's one of the most serious half-mile builds in the country, outputting 2,000 horsepower from its fully built turbocharged V8.
The car is still being dialed in, but over the weekend it set a new best trap speed of 223MPH, making it the fastest 2WD vehicle ever to run down the Coalinga runway. Plus, it sounds like there's still plenty of speed left to extract. We can't wait to see what it does next.
The Almighty GTR
Along with the aforementioned Corvettes, the other dominant car at Airstrip Attack is the R35 Nissan GT-R. It's amazing to think it's been a decade since the R35 first went on sale, and in the years since it's become one of the world's most dominant tuning platforms.
As with the 'Vettes, the selection of car's mods ranged from mild bolt-on builds to full on race cars, purpose built to attack the runway. While the GT-Rs might carry more weight than the Vettes, the way they put their power down is simply unmatched.
Sure, the GT-R's AWD traction helps at the start of the run, but the power keeps on coming at the top end making for some incredible trap speeds. It's amazing to think that a "stock" 600 horsepower GTR is considered "low end" by Airstrip Attack standards.
As the R35 platform continues to age, the entry prices will only drop further—allowing more people to jump in on the fun. If you want a 1,000 horsepower street car with as little drama as possible, it's hard to top the GT-R.
Supra Forever
Years before the R35 arrived on these shores, there was another turbocharged Japanese import legendary for its ability to create massive horsepower—the fourth generation Toyota Supra.
With all the brand new high tech machinery at Airstrip Attack, it was nice to see a group of nicely built JZA80s representing one of the most beloved tuner cars ever to come out of Japan.
Compared to many of the modern, high tech engines powering cars at Airstrip Attack, the venerable 2JZ-GTE straight six is quite old school—but when it comes to making horsepower, there's nothing obsolete about it.
The 2JZ's ability to produce power is timeless, and so too is the styling of the fourth gen Supra. Despite being nearly 25 years old, the design is still as attractive as any car out there—and it's really no wonder why these things are still in such high demand.
A...Studebaker?
Besides all the usual players—the GTRs, Corvettes, 911s and so forth—each Airstrip Attack event also brings out a few oddball cars that stand out from the crowd. This time around we were greeted by this wild '63 Studebaker Avanti.
Airstrip Attack events are dominated by late model cars, and whenever a classic car shows it's bound to get a lot of attention, especially when it's as funky as an Avanti. And if the race-spec interior and parachute on the back weren't enough to turn your head, then the 700 hp boosted V8 under the hood surely is.
In addition to Airstrip Attack, the car has also run at events like the Texas Mile and Mojave Mile and has even done duty as a traditional quarter mile drag car.
The little Avanti quickly became a crowd favorite because it was so much different from anything else running and is the perfect way to close out this look at fast and exciting ways to get yourself down a half-mile stretch of closed-off runway.
