Emelia Hartford’s C8 Corvette Breaks Another World Record, Bleeds For It

Despite the hot weather, Emelia Hartford knocks out her 9.41-second E.T. with a 9.39, though her twin-turbo C8 Corvette pays in leaking oil.

Though the drills and hammers are still hacking away at the C8 Corvette’s ECU to make it work with turbos, a few have managed to go hard without Fort Knox’s secret magic. One of them, Emelia Hartford, chose violence via a pair of turbos attached to the 6.2-liter LT2 V8.

So far, it’s worked out, as Hartford delivered a world-record time of 9.41 seconds in the twin-turbo C8 Corvette. Of course, nothing remains static when trying to squeeze more speed. Nor does the weather or oil.

“Today, we are heading to Fomosa Raceway,” said Hartford. “That is the quarter-mile dragstrip near us. Hopefully, we’ll be putting Phoenix in the 8s, and — if the transmission holds — Nini in the 9s.”

Her C8 Corvette also has its rear bumper back on, not only for a “super-clean” look, but for improved aero leading to improved E.T.s. Of course, Hartford and her crew have to actually get to Fomosa to lay it down, a trek which took a bit of time due to one of the trucks breaking down along the way. Those troubles are just a sign of things to come, though.

“Currently in Bakersfield, it is 75 degrees,” said Hartford. “As you guys can see, by one o’clock, it’s gonna be 100. And it’s gonna get up to about 110 today.”

Thus, the track crew at Fomosa opened up earlier than usual for Hartford and her crew to make their runs before the heat runs them out. An hour of warming-up later, the heat was already getting to the Corvette. Hartford feared she wouldn’t be able to hit a home run due to the weather. However, her Phoenix came through in the fire.

“We still did a 9.5,” said Hartford. “Technically, not counting my record, our record, that’s the fucking world’s fastest, again. We’re just trying to beat the bar that we set, which is a 9.41, which we’re a tenth of a second off. I think we’re there.”

On the final run with the Corvette, she beats her all-time best with a 9.39-second E.T. And it was at 100 degrees Fahrenheit when it happened. Alas, there was a sacrifice, in the form of leaking oil from the passenger rear. A rear main seal appears to be the culprit, but on this day, it was worth the spilled oil.

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