Images: Rad Rides by Troy

At 320 mph, mile markers fly by every eleven and a quarter seconds. That’s the goal for a team of veteran land speed enthusiasts out of the Chicago area heading back for Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Their weapon for this assault is a 1969 Plymouth Barracuda and it’s been updated for the new goal.

Built specifically for land speed use by custom car builder,  Troy Trepanier, the “Blowfish” first showed up in 2006, ready for duty. Since then, the car has accumulated a number of records and is shooting for the top this year.

Looking more like something out of the NASA laboratories and armed with a 1400 horsepower Dodge 392cui engine with turbocharger, the engine has all the power needed  at 12psi boost and 8,000 rpm to push this sleek fish to ts goal.

The rear axle was replaced over the Winter with a new Ford 9-inch unit, built by Strange Engineering. As well, the gearbox was replaced by Jerico Transmissions. The goal was to drop the overdrive gear, making fifth a direct 1:1 ratio.

It’s all done by the numbers here. Last year’s attempts needed 9500 rpm out of the engine to hit 317 mph. There’s nothing shabby about that, byt the goal this year is 320 mph and acknowledgement as the fastest door slammer on the planet.

With the new setup, using a 3.2:1 rear gear and direct driver top gear, 8500 rpm out of the engine will be pushing the Blowfish into new territory. You can keep a watch here for more news, or check out the Rad Rides web site for updates.