Making big power with big cubic inches with a proven combo is an easy way to quick elapsed times in drag racing. This basic equation to improving performance has worked since the very beginning of the automobile. Even making big power with a small cubic inch V8s is impressive when you look at what many of the small-tire cars, factory-built Super Stockers, and other vehicles are capable of on the smaller side of the cubic inch scale.
Australia’s Andrew Sanders is one of those that’s done more with less, and with the help of Specialized Power Porting Extrude Honing, has taken his 265 cubic inch, six-cylinder HEMI-powered Chrysler Centura and snuck it into the seven-second zone.
Chrysler of Australia needed a midsized four door car for its line up, and created the Centura to fit this requirement. The Centura was produced from the mid to late 1970s as a front engine, rear wheel drive car. You could drive off the lot with one of these cars sporting a two liter four-banger, all the way up to a six-cylinder Hemi backed by a three-speed automatic transmission. Due to mechanical issues, persistent rust, and problems getting parts from France, the Centura had a short production run. Because of this, the cars are pretty rare in Australia.
What makes Andrew’s Centura so rad is that nasty 265 cubic inch Hemi under the hood. This engine was never meant to be pushed north of the 1,000 horsepower mark, but when a racer puts their mind to something, anything is possible. The very well built overhead cam engine is fed big boost from a single Precision turbocharger, allowing it to produce the ind of grunt that it does. Check out this video from FullBoost that shows just how much of a handful such a small car can be. When Andrew drops the hammer at the hit, this Centura really gets after it!
Video Credit: FullBoost.com.au