The history of the Vauxhall Victor began back in 1957 when General Motors first unveiled it to the British market. It was a large family car with 55 HP that was built to take families from point A to point B. You don't need to be a genius to understood that this car had nothing to do with impressive performance level. That being said, we are 100% sure that when Vauxhall->ke92 brought the Victor onto the market, they never believed that it would become the world's fastest road-legal drag racing car. With some "minor" modifications to its power source, of course.

In fact, here at TopSpeed, we first reported about the Red Victor 3 back in 2010, when this project was in its early development stages. Now, since it turned out not to be just some guy's trifle, we decided it was time to offer up a little more information on it.

The Red Victor 3 is based on a 1967 Victor FD - the fourth generation Victor - and is the result of a collaboration between VXR and the Red Victor team. You can only image the hard work the team put in to take the car from the standard 88 HP (the amount of power developed by the FD) to the impressive 3000 HP it currently pushes out. Yeah, you read that right; a whopping 3,000 HP!

Hit the jump to read all about the Vauxhall Red Victor 3, including its stats achieved at the 2012 FIA Main Event at Santa Pod. At this event, the Red Victor 3 became the world's fastest street legal car, achieving an astounding 6.59 seconds at 220 mph.

2012 Vauxhall Red Victor 3

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2012 Vauxhall Red Victor 3
  • Engine/Motor: V8
  • Horsepower: 3000
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

Exterior and Interior

First things first! A large family car is not quite perfect for drag racing, so the work began here. Initially, the team needed to modify the size of the car because the FD was a large sedan and the team needed a sporty coupe. As a result, the wheelbase was stretched 14", the roof was chopped 2", the front screen was raked back 5 deg, the front door lengthened by 6", the rear door was shortened 6", the rear quarters raised 4", and the front was tapered by 1.5". Next, the car needed a new chassis which it received from Webster Race Engineering who designed the chrome moly SFI spec 25.2 twin rail.

The standard Victor wasn't engineered to sustain 3000 HP, so the two teams added chrome trim around the windows, front and rear bumpers, and on the grille, while the entire body was modified to offer better aerodynamics. The bonnet was completely redesigned and combined with carbon fiber doors, bonnet, boot, front spoiler, wheel tubs, transmission tunnel and turbo air intakes, and a custom Webster Race Engineering aluminum rear spoiler.

The final touch to the exterior was a Mini chilli red 2 pack with custom graphics, designed by Power Race graphics and applied by DC Customs. We also can't forget to mention the new set of 16" wrapped in Mickey Thompson tires offered in two different versions: for race or for street.

The interior received aluminum Kirkey seats trimmed in leather, custom trimmed carpets, an on board fire system, an on board communications system, and all the stuff necessary for a cool drag racing car.

Engine

The standard 1967 Victor FD was offered with a 88 HP 2-liter 4-cylinder engine. This was good enough for the time, but not a very inspiring power source in this day and age, especially for a drag racer. So, the standard four-cylinder was tossed out and an 8.8-liter twin-turbo GM V8 engine was put in its place. In order to fit this engine under the hood, everything needed to be changed: heads, valvetrain, induction, crank, con rods, pistons, and the exhaust system. The standard exhaust was replaced by a new custom 321 stainless steel 2 ¼" diameter manifolds and 4.5" diameter silencers, all Zircotec ceramic coated. The transmission is also new. It is a 3 speed Lenco CS1 planetary with Neal Chance 10.5” billet aluminum/steel converter.

The result of all this impressive work was well worth it. The Vauxhall Red Victor 3 delivers a mind-blowing 3000 HP, allowing the sprint from 0 to 153 mph to be completed in 4.8 seconds with a top speed of 200 mph.

Brakes and Suspension

Drag racing cannot be achieved without excellent brakes and a superior suspension system. The brakes on the Red Victor 3 were developed by Strange Engineering, as were the front suspensions. The rear of the vehicle got Penske double adjustable aluminum coilovers with Hyperco springs.

While competing in Pro Mod at the 2012 FIA Main Event at Santa Pod, the Red Victor 3 established an astounding 6.59 seconds at 220 mph.