The General Motors Small Block engine is renowned in the drag racing community for its ability to produce huge amounts of power, along with its reliability and affordability.
The venerable Small Block isn’t the only GM powertrain that is beloved by drag racers, though. When it comes to four-cylinder drag racing, there is no better engine to have than the GM EcoTec.
YouTube’s 1320 video recently caught up with the fastest four-cylinder car in the world – Carl Brunet’s 2008 Pontiac G8 GXP. This car apparently started out life as a Mike Edwards-run NHRA Pro Stock car before Brunet bought it and installed a heavily modified GM EcoTec four-cylinder in the front, along with a huge 88mm Garrett turbocharger.
Brunet recently broke the quarter-mile record for a four-cylinder car with a pass of 6.078 @ 229.94 mph at Florida’s Orlando Speed World. He beat out another GM vehicle for the record – a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt SS with a C20XE GM four-cylinder, which remains the second fastest four-cylinder on planet earth for now. That means a different generation of GM four-cylinder engine powered the first and second fastest four-cylinder quarter-mile passes of all time. Who knew?
We’re left wondering if a four-cylinder car will ever break into the five-second range in the quarter-mile. Something tells us that if a car ever does, it may have a GM EcoTec under the hood. We wouldn’t be surprised if a certain French Canadian by the name of Carl Brunet was behind the wheel, either.
While we’re waiting for the four-cylinder record to fall yet again, be sure to check out the video of Brunet’s latest record-breaking pass in the video embedded below.
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Comments
The Oldsmobile AeroTech in 1987 is still much faster than this car at 257 MPH with a turbocharged 2.3 L engine:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobile_Aerotech
Since speed is defined as distance divided by time, you may have to define what you describe as “faster” from now on.
This wouldn’t be the first time someone has had to correct the GMA staff on the difference between “quick” and “fast”!
Back to topic, take that Germania and the land of the rising sun!
USA 1
They are referring to drag racing and 1/4 mile times.
The Aerotech was a March Indy car chassis with a full body kit on it. Foyt drove it at Stockton Tx at the Firestone test oval that is like 8 miles around.
The Pontiac here was from the 1320 web site that covers drag racing and this Ecotec did its speed in 1,000 feet.
You are comparing Apple to oranges here as these are two different disciplines of motor sports.
The story is correct but you have to pay attention to what kind of racing it is.
This is the fastest Drag 4 cylinder. Quick and fast both apply to drag racing.
The Ecotec is very capable. I was around the one John Lingenfelter raced and he was in the six second quarter mile using a stock block and head. The head cracked at 1500 hp and he went to a special race head.
The Quad AJ used was heavily modified by Batten Racing for GM as the stock parts struggles at 200 HP. It used nothing stock.
Here is another 4 that has run 290 Mph on the Salt in a streamliner. But then this another form of fast.
http://yacoucci.com/records.htm
Bob Norwood’s Max 4 four cylinder funny car went in the mid 5 seconds in the quarter mile.
Quick and faster are completely different things in drag racing. Being quick is having low et. Being fast is having high mph….
Is anyone here in a position to recommend Underwire Swimsuits? Thanks xxx
I have a Chevy Equaniox 2013. I think it is great your engines do fantastic for you. You have mechanics that work round the clock for you. I don’t , I can not afford now to even get it repaired. Over our cold spell we had not to long ago , my PVC value froze up, causing it to blow my rear seal out which made me lose all my oil, did not know of this because it never popped up on the dash , the only thing that came on was (REDUCE ENGING POWER) , that is it . There was no warning of shut down system ., no check engine., no low on oil or pressure…the next ting I Know is that my car started knocking , but not long because it decided to throw a rod in engine block then just stopped completely and would not start up at all. Now this is the most upsetting thing is I called GM motors , all they told me is that there was nothing that they could do…They were not going to repair it . why? they said my vin # was not listed on their recall . I can not phathom all their parts are the same , they knew about the recalls , and there are several other that has issues with the car. ! which when you have a police officer tell you what the problem is when explaining why you are pulled over waiting for a tow truck . And how? because he had to deal with the same issue with his family. All I would like is for GM Chevy motors to fix my car ,,,this should have never happen. when I took it in faithfully for oil changes and any thing else the never said one thing about the seals powertrain or else. Now I am without a vehicle ..still have to pay for insurance and payment .. I really would like the corporation to step up to their faults. they new of these problems if in one or two ..you know it’s in more just not certain ones so, why can’t they fix the issue. If they would have I would still have a running car instead it just sits in my drive reminding me …. that I probably won’t get another chevy .. sadden that ‘s all I have own. Don;t know why I am typing this no one is going to care . I guess I just want something done that won’t get done by them (if the would truly be the corporate office as they say they are for the caring of there people THEY WOULD REPLACE MY CAR totally with a new car and I would except there apology with so much appreciation !!!!!!!! I’ m just dreaming now. Anyway that is that.
Stop crying Nancy…😢
If only you could have embarrassed oil express like my 75-year-old aunt who, similarly described pile driver knocking the brightest solid red blinking yellow dashboard lights, witnessed since stopping to use the bathroom at a Vegas wh*rehouse. Making it home before her completely dry engine seized up. She belongs to the _ Arrive at your destination then worry about it, category._ I joked. “A short trip like yours might cost a common driver three bucks in gas, while your joyride billed five quarts of oil and one $3000 6 cylinder crate engine.”
Kimberly I don’t fully get the impression you’re a helpless kitten relying on pops to check fluids air pressure and hunt down every grease fitting Plenty of men would have waited until the oil pressure light got brighter. But your car’s computer just clammed up failing to make a bleep blip Buzz blink At the most crucial point throughout it’s abbreviated service life. Maybe it was in shock or plain old denial But it couldn’t hide from the bitterest lemon juice paying the costliest lesson for its human engineer’s dereliction of duty.
My pops purchased a brand new 70 Impala which turned out to be a real lemon. Defined as legalese list of Some dozen repeating uncorrectable chronic problems uniquely specific rather than shared recalls and post warranty Bugaboos only engineers or production revisions put a final end to.
My grandpappy purchased a ’67 Skylark And that’s the car I drive today.
Could you get close to those times with a Supercharger? I realise your not running nitro methane so turbocharging would be better.