This Malibu Went from a Race Car back to a Street-Friendly Ride – Leading Its Owner to Participate In (and Create) a Drag-and-Drive Event
Although it’s easy to see why some kids count down the days until that final bell rings in high school, granting them the freedom to enter the ‘real world’ and make their own decisions, sometimes high school reminds you of simple times and needs.
And for many a car enthusiast, high school can also bring your first automobile, which can bring its own memories.
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With a solid resume in bracket racing in multiple cars, Lane Cavar had become a common name in the winners’ circle on the west coast. But he still felt like something was missing, especially with his 1979 Chevrolet Malibu.
“I have always attempted to keep my car as multipurpose as possible, but was getting to the point of being a sole race car,” said Lane. “Being this is the car I drove to high school, I wanted to revert the car back to street car form.”
To carry out this idea, in the winter of 2023, Lane swapped out the 582 cubic inch big block Chevrolet to instead install a more street-friendly combination. That engine choice would be a 427 cubic inch LS engine, with a pair of LS3 cylinder heads, a Holley intake, and a ProCharger D-1X supercharger for a little more power.
A Powerglide transmission sits behind the new engine bay tenant, and a Texas Precision Performance 9-inch rear end holding 3.70 gears.
Despite getting mostly race use for a while, Lane kept the car stock suspension, and the Malibu’s full interior, with tilt steering column and rear seat, remains with the car. With the car reverted back to street and strip capability, it wasn’t long before Lane was exposed to the drag-and-drive community, but what came next wasn’t the common route for most people.
“My drag-and-drive experience actually comes from the promoter side,” said Lane. “Jeremy Sears and I brought the ‘Olympic Drag N Drive’ to the Pacific Northwest in the summer of 2024. Being fans of drag-and-drive and with a limited schedule of events on the west coast, we felt it was a necessary addition to west coast drag racing.”
But Lane wants to don the helmet as well in drag-and-drive, so he’ll slide behind the wheel of the Malibu on next week’s Redwood Rally.
“Being from Washington state, really the only ones we have feasible access to are my own event, the Redwood Rally, and Big Sky Race Week, as well as some events up north in BC,” Lane said. “I chose the events I participated in based upon schedule alignment with some of my friends. Going back east solo to do an event takes a lot of time and effort, so I am grateful for the local events.”
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Lane Cavar.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com