When it comes to transmission explosions in drag racing, the one you see in the video above ranks right up there with the best of them. Because, as you can see, there’s quite literally nothing left of it.
The driver of this Plymouth Valiant, competing at the Sydney Dragway over in Australia, makes it no more than five feet from the starting line when the transmission unleashed itself upon the Sydney racing surface, doing so with such incredible force that you can see pieces of the trim on the body — from what looks like the windshield — go sailing off the car and onto the pavement.
While we certainly can’t confirm it, we wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the transmission in question was a 727 Torqueflite, which are notorious for self-destructing in situations just like this one in drag racing. We actually beared witness to just such a case earlier this season, when a Torqueflite exploded in a Dodge pickup, sending parts and pieces through the dash and into the drivers compartment.
Whether the driver was injured in this case would likely depend entirely on whether or not he had a proper shield on the transmission, but you can clearly see just how destructive this explosion was — the transmission is shattered nito tiny bits and pieces strewn out across the first city feet of the race track. Needless to say, there wont be any hack job repairs on this one.
Video credit: Fast Performance Videos