Show-Quality Nova Shatters LS Hydraulic Roller Record – 2726 Horsepower on FuelTech’s Dyno
Every year, dozens of new cars are revealed or displayed between the Specialty Equipment Manufacturing Association (SEMA) and Performance Racing Industry (PRI) shows.
At last December’s PRI Show, William Tetro’s new third-gen Chevrolet Nova caught many eyes, sitting in the Frankenstein Engine Dynamics booth.
With no hood in place, you could a lot of polished LS twin-turbo goodness, and less than six months after its track debut, it’s already a record holder.
Built as the next step to Tetro’s clean LS-swapped RX-7, the Nova came to life at Coast Chassis Design Race Cars & Components in Edgewater, Florida. Tim Christ was at the helm of the build, destined to compete in No-Time classes.
The Nova packs an Ochs Performance-built LS-based 427 cubic inch bullet, based on a Dart block. A custom grind camshaft from Brian Tooley Racing sits in the middle, and the short block wears a pair of Frankenstein Engine Dynamics F710 cylinder heads.
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Complemented by Frankenstein Engine Dynamics’ Freakshow intake with dual 90-millimeter throttle bodies, the powerplant gets the extra atmosphere from twin Forced Inductions ETR V5 S488 turbochargers.
Menscer Motorsports handled the shocks at all 4 corners, and the Nova rolls on polished RC Components wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson rubber, and stops on TBM Brakes.
Tetro works at Harbor Auto Restoration, so it’s no surprise the Nova would be a looker in addition to all the performance stuff noted above.
About four months after the Nova saw the bright lights of PRI, Tetro starting giving the car some exercise at Orlando Speed World Dragway.
Being a No-Time car, no performances have been publicly discussed. But in the last week, recent changes have thrust the Nova back into the limelight.
Although the Nova had a different ECU system calling the shots when it was revealed, noted racer and wiring-guru Michael Kurt Bunton recently switched the Nova to a FuelTech FT600 EFI System, along with the company’s NANOPRO, FTSPARK, and a few other choice items.
Not long after the switch, Tetro’s Nova hit FuelTech’s hub dyno, and the resulting numbers were enough to claim a new king had been crowned on the LS Hydraulic Roller Cam dyno record.
How good were the results? The graph showed 2,726 horsepower, over 400 more than the existing LS Hydraulic Roller Cam dyno record!!
After a day of proving on the dyno, Tetro loaded up and headed to Kentucky for this weekend’s LS Fest at Beech Bend Raceway Park. The Nova will be on display in the Frankenstein Engine Dynamics booth during the weekend.
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of William Tetro, Gavin Simcoe and FuelTech.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com