We’ve said earlier that we typically shy away from photographing cars on trailers for our regular Lot Shots features—but sometimes a glorious exception comes rumbling into the Summit Racing Retail Store parking lot.
…And for us, it doesn’t get much more glorious than a vintage Buick Electra towing a race-prepped Wildcat drag car.
Better still, since the first week in June is National Trailer Safety Week, now’s the perfect time to showcase this dynamic Tri-Shielded duo.
It was tough to miss this 1970 Buick Electra 225 lumbering down the road. The “225” of course, refers to its overall length: 225 inches—that’s almost 19 feet as the crow flies. The facelifted grille tells us it’s a 1970 model too, which also means that it’s the first year that the mighty 455ci Buick V8 was found under an Electra’s hood.
Thanks to its long sedan wheelbase and ground-thumping powerplant, the Electra had no problem chugging its precious cargo up the ramp into the Summit Racing lot. And once we saw a glimpse what was on that trailer, our intrepid videographer Patrick Miller dashed down the stairs to get the whole scoop on this setup.
Out back was a 1969 Buick Wildcat, with a “Stage 2” emblem conspicuously tucked into the grille.
Turns out the owner is an avid Buick fan (duh!) and he was heading to the annual Buick GS Nationals down in Bowling Green, Kentucky for the weekend.
And from what he tells us, that Wildcat is going to get a workout.
The car is a track monster, running a 455 topped with Eliminator Cylinder Heads from TA Performance. He explains that the modified Wildcat was able to cut 11.5 second ETs, still with its original 455 block.
Now with some additional upgrades, the Wildcat’s best time is a 10.80—not too shabby for a full-size B-body Buick.
Even with the Stage 2 emblem on the grille, the Wildcat’s drag racing modifications were pretty subtle to the casual eye. Only a glance rearward at its massive Mickey Thompson ET Street Radials would give you a clue as to its tire-nuking tendencies. (We chuckled at the OE Buick mud flaps out back too.)
We didn’t want to chew the owner’s ear off, so we bid him farewell and wished him luck on his upcoming adventure in the Bluegrass State.
Depending on the route, it’s between four and five hours from the Summit Racing store near Akron, Ohio to the Kentucky state line, and a few hours after that to Bowling Green—but we’re betting the loafing 455 in front of his right foot won’t mind the trip at all.
Fun Fact: Bowling Green is also the home of GM’s Corvette factory and National Corvette Museum.
Comments