Smokey And The Bandit is an iconic movie for the ages, many people have grown up watching that movie religiously. Unfortunately, other than top-tier styling, nothing is exciting about the anemic 200-horsepower 6.6-liter V8 that the stock Trans Am had under the hood. There is a solution, however, and that solution comes in the form of the maniacs who make power their expertise. Jorge, from Redlands CA, has built an insane drag car from the very same iconic movie legend.
Under the hood, the car is rocking a Chevy Small Block 383 cubic-inch, which boasts a reasonable 450-horsepower. The relatively low, for a drag car, horsepower is to allow the car to be drivable on the street and at the track. Jorge has equipped the car with a nitrous system, of which he uses an 80-shot at launch and a second shot which contains an amount that he would like to keep secret for competition purposes. The suspension was also an incredibly important factor when building this car, sporting a combination of CPP and Hotchkis suspension. Another additional performance part is a set of CPP C5 conversion brakes in the front, which are modified with a vacuum pump to allow for maximum vacuum.
The exterior is fitted with a splitter and spoiler of Jorge’s design made from ABS plastic and plexiglass. One major goal for this car was to make it drivable, unlike many project cars that are made with ridiculously expensive tools, are completely undrivable, and have way too much horsepower for the owner to handle, this car is built with driver preference and adaptability in mind.
He wanted something that he could take to the track and tear up the canyon from time to time, because of this he gave the car a turbo 350 transmission to assist in better handling and a 3.73:1 geared rear-end to allow for quick energy transfer to the wheels. As far as goals go, this car checks all of the boxes for a fast, fun car, that you can take almost anywhere that there are roads.
Elizabeth is hardcore horsepower enthusiast with unmatched intensity for making things faster and louder. She wakes up for power and performance and only sleeps to charge up for the next project that’s heading to the track. From autocross to drag racing, Elizabeth is there with you, so stay tuned for her unique perspective on horsepower news, builds, tech info, and installs — with her, it’ll never be boring!
