From 1987: Ultimate Top Speed Shootout Is a Gathering of Eagles
From the Archive: Gunning for 200 mph and beyond with the fastest street cars in America, among them an AMG Hammer, a Ferrari Testarossa, Callaway Corvettes, and more.
From the December 1987 issue of Car and Driver.
It was hard to believe it was actually happening. At ten o’clock on a summer’s eve, in a garage in the middle of nowhere, the cars began to arrive. One by one, the fastest street machines in America rolled out of the pitch-black Ohio night and through the double-high garage doors, as if drawn by the bright lights inside. The Eagles were gathering.
Share Don Sherman
Sports cars and supercars are faster and more capable than ever. A base C8 Corvette can bang off a 0–60 sprint in under 3 seconds, territory not long ago inhabited solely by six-figure exotics. The degree to which this performance is usable on the street is open for debate, but there’s no mistaking the fact that bragging rights still matter. And short of pitting cars head-to-head on a closed course, performance testing by the automotive media is still the best way for the public to compare cars by the numbers and validate automakers’ claims. In a century of this tradition, while the mission has remained the same, the methods and tools of the trade have transformed just as dramatically as the vehicles themselves.
January 12, 2021
Kevin Aguilar
Best known as a company that specializes in performance products for both consumers and military use, Banks is embarking on a completely new venture that might make people think the team has gone mad! Usually, the types of vehicles they work on are built to either break speed records or haul heavy loads with ease. So, building a slammed â66 Chevy C20 that doesnât have a shiny surface is a bit different to say the least.
If you take a look at the Banks lineage, their current build really stands out as all others were built for performance. Starting in the 1950âs, Banks made a name for itself in the marine industry by turbocharging big block Chevy engines for endurance race boats. Since they were going through large numbers of engines, founder Gale Banks made an arrangement with GM to get engines with his internals.