What's an ideal warm-up for a cold February? A warm-up gasser race, of course, which is what YouTube channel Race Your Ride brings you. An up, close, and personal with Chevy, Ford, and Corvette Brew City Gassers, and a drag race between them.
Gassers are hard body models from the ’30s to the ‘60s, stripped of all extra weight and jacked-up with a beam or tubular axle with a raised front suspension as well. They are classics brought to life, and watching them rev and race is an utter delight.
Gasser Drag Race With ‘Chevy & Ford
First up was Skip Hjortland, with a ’55 Chevy Gasser. Named “Steel in Time” and wearing badges of “Precision Chrome”, Hjortland’s ’55 Chevy Bel Air raced another blown ’55, belonging to Tom Heiring, named “The Pedl’r.”
Hjortland’s Chevy won this round, running a quarter-mile in 9.73 seconds and top speeds of 141.22 mph, while The Pedl’r ran the same in 10.03 seconds at top speeds of 134.86 mph.
But we have to admit, John Reidenbach's black blown '62 Corvette stole the show, and not just with its amazing looks. It raced Jeff Jacobson’s ’55 Ford Fairlane, called the “Skairlane”.
Surprisingly, the way more understated Ford Fairlane won the quarter-mile in 8.96 seconds, as despite getting off to a rocket start, the Corvette took 8.97 seconds to complete the same. Speed was almost evenly matched, with the ‘Vette reaching 149.81 mph and the Fairlane doing 148.49 mph.
Pitting A ’55 Chevy Against A ’62 Corvette
But what happens when Skip Hjortland’s ’55 Chevy Gasser goes against John Reidenbach's '62 Corvette in a 1/8th mile race?
According to the video, the ’55 Chevy has a 555 BBC crate engine with a Dyers 8/71 Blower and a Turbo 400. The ’62 Corvette rides on Ford 9-inch 3.70 gears, on a Turbo 400 with a manual valve body.
The start is electric as the ’55 Chevy Gasser rose in the air before streaking down the asphalt, with the ’62 Corvette doing its lightning run on the other side. The results were equally electric. Hjortland’s ’55 Chevy Gasser did the run in a stunning 6.38 seconds, at a top speed of 113.15 mph.
But Reidenbach's '62 Corvette nearly flew down the distance in a shockingly agile 5.85 seconds, at 121.52 mph.
It’s the weight difference that lets the Corvette race ahead, considering the steel-bodied Chevy is heavier than the fiberglass Corvette. The win might have gone to the Corvette but both the cars put up one thrilling show, as did the others, at the Byron Dragway’s Glory Days.
Source: YouTube