Kit Car's first ever Performance Day was so successful that we'll be staging another Performance event in 2008. Before we do, we need to give the results for all the cars tested on that inaugural day. In this very issue of the magazine, we provide feature articles on the remaining two cars that were put through their paces.
Backdraft Racing brought one roadster out to El Toro Marine Base to the AMCI testing center, where we fielded the Performance Day. With Backdraft Racing's Reg Dodd behind the wheel, the yellow rookie-striped, navy blue Backdraft Racing roadster performed admirably. No stranger to road racing, Reg was a champion driver for two years in South Africa. We don't know whether he has done much performance testing, which is a bit different than going all out on a sports car course, but he handled the 0-to-60-mph acceleration runs, the 420-foot slalom, the skidpad, and the 60-to-0 braking passes with seasoned skill.
Backdraft roadsters are shipped from South Africa all over the world as fully assembled and painted cars, without the engine or transmission installed. The company's authorized dealer network installs the drivetrain the customer selects. Should the client be mechanically inclined, they can install the engine and transmission themselves.
For KIT CAR Performance Day, Backdraft Racing installed a Tremec TKO 600 five-speed manual transmission mated to the back of a Roush 402R engine. The Roush powerplant is rated at over 500 hp, so it's a great engine to install in a Cobra replica. Likewise with the Tremec TKO 600 trans (the 600 part of the TKO name designates that this manual transmission can handle up to 600 lb-ft of torque, which is more than tough enough to handle the Roush 402R's 500 lb-ft of torque rating).
Backdraft Racing had so much fun at KIT CAR Performance Day '07 that we've heard rumors they'll be testing two cars in '08. We can't wait to see what they bring this year. Until then, read and see how the Backdraft Racing roadster did at KC's first big testing party. Enjoy!
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