Leroy Corvette Runs a Record Trap Speed at LS Fest West
Leroy Corvette Runs a Record Trap Speed at LS Fest West
Cleetus McFarland and Leroy the bodyless Corvette wonder hit 168 miles per hour in the quarter mile in Vegas.
LS Fest West 2018 was held in early May and one of the cars in attendance to participate in the racing program was the bodyless Corvette named Leroy, driven by YouTuber Cleetus McFarland. This video chronicles the progress of Leroy and Cleetus on the third day of the festival of GM high performance, as they reach a new top speed in the quarter mile.
Leroy at LS Fest West
If you aren’t familiar with Leroy the Corvette or his owner, Cleetus McFarland, this is a C5 Corvette that was bought from a salvage yard after a wreck that was bad enough that the entire body was cut away. The YouTuber found that with a little work, he could make this bodyless Corvette drivable and, more importantly, very fast.
Since the day that Cleetus got Leroy, a 427-cubic inch LSX with a massive twin-turbo setup has been added, but it still doesn’t have a body. Fortunately, that lack of exterior panels doesn’t stop Leroy from being insanely fast, as the video above shows.
This footage was captured at LS Fest West, which took place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It was over 80 degrees for these runs at the track has an elevation of more than 2,400 feet, so conditions are less than ideal. That doesn’t stop Leroy from setting a new record.
Hitting the Track
On the first run, Cleetus forgets to turn on the intercooler pump, so the air entering Leroy’s turbocharged LSX isn’t as cool as it should be. However, on that first run with diminished power and all sorts of mid-track traction troubles, he still ran an 8.54 at 166 miles per hour. That was the fastest trap speed by Leroy and the second-quickest elapsed time, and with McFarland not being licensed to run that quick, he got the “one-run warning”. This means that another run of similar speed and he would be done for the day.
Some people would dial back the boost, but Cleetus decided to send it. On that first run, the no-lift-shift button under the clutch pedal broke, but after fixing it with duct tape and zip ties, Leroy was ready for more action.
On the second run, the Corvette spins a bit on launch, slowing down the short time, but the car pulls hard through the top end of the track. This led to an elapsed time of 8.5 and a trap speed of 168 miles per hour – setting a new record for the fastest trap speed by the bodyless, twin turbocharged Corvette.
Crank up your speakers and enjoy!
