World’s fastest HHR: SoCal Speed Shop prepared vehicle to run at Salt Flats
AUTOWEEK
Posted Date: 7/27/05
While it remains to be seen how quickly HHRs will fly off showroom floors, this particular HHR will undoubtedly move pretty fast. The SoCal Speed Shop has chopped, channeled, slammed and sautéed this version to run up to 250 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats on Aug. 13-19, aiming for 226.835 mph, the G/Blown Fuel Competition Coupe record.
The car’s turbocharged intercooled 2.0-liter Ecotec four is tuned to make more than 800 hp. Steering wheel-mounted boost control allows the driver to crank pressure up to 45 psi. In addition to body mods, the SoCal car has a Pro-Mod drag race-style double-rail chrome-moly tube chassis built by SoCal’s Robin Silk and Paul Rivera. The body also sports NASCAR-style roof flaps to help keep it on the ground should it spin.
HHR driving duties go to Jim Minneker, engineering group manager for GM High Performance Vehicle Operations. Minneker drove a Saturn Ion Red Line Coupe to a G/Blown Fuel Altered Coupe record of 212.684 mph in 2003.
The Ion Red Line will be back this year, too, along with the Ecotec Lakester, both driven by lucky GM engineers.
http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102860
AUTOWEEK
Posted Date: 7/27/05
While it remains to be seen how quickly HHRs will fly off showroom floors, this particular HHR will undoubtedly move pretty fast. The SoCal Speed Shop has chopped, channeled, slammed and sautéed this version to run up to 250 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats on Aug. 13-19, aiming for 226.835 mph, the G/Blown Fuel Competition Coupe record.
The car’s turbocharged intercooled 2.0-liter Ecotec four is tuned to make more than 800 hp. Steering wheel-mounted boost control allows the driver to crank pressure up to 45 psi. In addition to body mods, the SoCal car has a Pro-Mod drag race-style double-rail chrome-moly tube chassis built by SoCal’s Robin Silk and Paul Rivera. The body also sports NASCAR-style roof flaps to help keep it on the ground should it spin.
HHR driving duties go to Jim Minneker, engineering group manager for GM High Performance Vehicle Operations. Minneker drove a Saturn Ion Red Line Coupe to a G/Blown Fuel Altered Coupe record of 212.684 mph in 2003.
The Ion Red Line will be back this year, too, along with the Ecotec Lakester, both driven by lucky GM engineers.
http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102860
