When the Big Red Camaro was first built, the design didn’t incorporate much more than a rollcage and a Lingenfelter-built 540 cubic-inch big-block engine making 800 horsepower. That first iteration of the car was capable of reaching speeds eclipsing 200 mph. The Camaro made its first appearance at the 1988 La Carerra Road Race in Ensenada, Mexico, where Big Red started third in the starting grid. In a surprise move, it quickly passed the two cars starting in the first and second position. Unfortunately, as the car neared the finish line, it went off the road and crashed. R.J. Gottlieb and Chris Kaufmann walked away, but the car was toast. A second body was located, and a serious speed demon arose from the ashes.

The new body was placed over an Inland Chassis Design stock-car-style chassis that was built using state-of-the-art race parts capable of handling the tortures of open road racing. Big Red participated in, and won several events, but was eventually put into hibernation in 1996. After several years of resting, Big Red was brought back to life, and has seen many engine and suspension upgrades.

We found this video on Facebook, showing the Big Red Camaro doing the impossible for a car with the aerodynamics of a vending machine—traveling at more than 250 mph. The video was filmed at the 1.5-mile event called the Runway Racing Mega Mile in Mojave, California. During this outing, we were told the car was powered by what the team affectionately calls The Elephant, a 598 cubic-inch big-block with a single carburetor and forced induction via a Procharger F-3A supercharger. The guys are reluctant to talk much about what’s in the engine, but we’re told it delivers 1,900 horsepower depending on the amount of boost delivered. Like many race teams, there are several engines that grace the mounts in Big Red, and each is built specifically to cater to the needs of the car for the event it is running. Bolted behind the Pachyderm at this event was a highly-modified 4L80E transmission, and a 9-inch floater-style rear with a set of 2.64 gears.

So sit back, get comfortable, and watch Big Red do what it does best, fly at ground zero.