Bench racing has been around as long as speed cars, but most of the time, it’s just stock cars racing against each other. But when it comes to changing them, there are a lot of options. It does, right? Every car has a performance limit or the fastest lap time it can get. Also, some platforms are different. Which car would you want to turn into the fastest time attack build possible while keeping its original frame and legal tires? The fact that many different kinds of cars have been able to do this over the years shows that the answer is more challenging than it seems. The only things that stay the same are the minimum weight, the largest tire size, and the most horsepower and downforce possible. If you can only pick one, you need to figure out how to blend those best. It’s not a clear choice, like the 1,300-hp Chevy Corvette shown above, but I can see a number of potential alternatives that could beat it. A sequential six-speed Honda K24 engine with a huge turbo is put together with an ND Mazda MX-5 chassis that can send power in different directions. Both the short wheelbase and the power output would be hard to control, but a skilled driver could do both. Even more so with antilag and 345-section tires. The second, more extreme option is a car like the Audi R8 or Lamborghini Huracan, which has two turbochargers and a body that is as big as it needs to be to put out all those thousands of horsepower. There are, of course, enough forces to stop a Boeing 747 from taking off. But the brief asked for the fastest build, not the coolest. These are both the kinds of builds you’d expect from the most annoying influences. There are better times to talk about my Chevy Cavalier fan car idea.
