Automakers in the muscle car world have been jousting for public attention of late, especially with Ford's Mustangs squaring off against Dodge's Hellcats. But Chevrolet hasn't been doing too shabbily, especially with its C8 Corvette dominating sales since the beginning of 2021. And there's been plenty of noise of late erupting from the Corvette Kingdom after YouTubing driver and mechanic Emelia Hartford broke a C8 speed record in March when she bested the quarter-mile in 9.41 seconds. Her 'Vette has more than 1,000 horsepower to hit that mark, a milestone that engine modifier FuelTech USA claims to have exceeded in a video released Monday.

C8 Development Took A Year and 4,000 Miles

According to FuelTech USA founder Anderson Dick, his crew managed to get their C8 to deliver 1,075 horsepower from the wheels. But rather than brag about the achievement, he was not only willing to show how his company did it, but that it certainly wasn't easy. The clutch had to be upgraded before the Corvette could be tested on the dyno, for openers. And there was plenty of work to be done on the twin turbos.

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"The challenge behind of controlling all the upgrades on these cars are very tricky," noted Dick. FuelTech USA had been tinkering with their C8 for about a year and after 4,000 miles, they still had boost issues. Getting a more custom clutch and turbos as well as installing the electronics was to be part of the solution.

Garrett G35-900 Turbos Added To This C8

FuelTech USA red C8 Corvette with pair of G35 turbos
FuelTech USA

A big part of boosting the power was the installation of a pair of Garrett G35-900s as well as revamping the intake manifold with eight 1700cc injectors deemed compatible with most types of fuel. They also added a different type of fuel system on the Corvette including a fuel cell in the front with the ability to pump five gallons a minute.

All of that is controlled by FuelTech USA's FT600 electronic control unit that manages the injection. it also runs in concert with the Corvette's stock computer, but can display several aspects of the car's performance including RPMs, battery voltage, injection rates, turbo speed for each unit, boost control, and even cylinder temperature.

Horsepower Milestone A Labor Of Love

FuelTech USA electronic control unit inside red C8 Corvette
FuelTech USA

According to Dick, seeing the C8 achieve 1,075 horsepower to the wheels was more of a labor of love than seeking bragging rights.

"In our perspective, just having like over a thousand horsepower is an honor. We know how many people are trying to do this... and it's awesome that we also are getting to these barriers," he said. "We're happy to develop this stuff and having this opportunity to play with this."

Source: FuelTech USA

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