Cop Car Apocalypse! Crown Victoria Demolition Derby
Just when we thought there wasn't anything YouTube star Cleetus McFarland hasn't done—drag racing a naked Corvette, drifting, sideshows, burnouts, building street freaks—he outdoes himself with a 50-lap demolition derby with ex-cop cars. The scene was Holley's Intergalactic Ford Festival, and the place was Beech Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on October 1 to 4, 2020. This in-demand automotive performance artist loves discovering new ways to excite show-goers and destroy automotive appliances like former cop cars.
At Holley's Intergalactic Ford Fest, Camp Cleetus outdid itself with this 50-lap race on Bowling Green's short oval track. Part demo derby, part burnout contest, and part feature event, the Cleetus 50 featured six identically prepped Ford Crown Victoria police cars.
(And you thought all a Crown Vic was good for was donating its front suspension to a Ford truck?) Leading up to the main event on Saturday night was a Friday and Saturday afternoon pair of qualifying heats that left little to imagine for the main event.
If 50 laps don't sound like much of a main event, just remember that these cars are mostly stock—right down to the tires and 4.6L mod-motor V-8 powertrains. (See how the 4.6L 2-valve V-8 can be made into a potent and inexpensive performer here.) Winning the race isn't so much the objective as is merely finishing with the engine and drivetrain still running. Want to participate in something like this? For now, this is an exhibition-only event, but who knows, maybe with some enhanced safety gear it could be open to the public next year.
Why Crown Victorias?
Demo derbies aren't anything new, but using Crown Vic cop cars guarantees four things: Cars are plentiful, inexpensive, heavy, and sort of fast-ish. It also has a Ford mod-motor V-8 and rear-wheel drive—just the thing for death-defying stunts! When originally built as a cop car, any sympathy that remained for the po-po Interceptor is gone.
Cleetus and his henchmen are not only skilled drivers (all gratuitous side swipes, T-bones, and PIT maneuvers excepted), they are also experts in race car fabrication and preparation. (Just look at those exquisitely painted, wind-cheating bodies!) If there's any incentive at all to wreck your opponent (besides, uh, winning) it's that you'll have more incentive to rebuild your car better for the next event. Speaking of which, make sure to aim your browser here to get details on Holley's 2021 Intergalactic Ford Festival.
SOURCE: HOT ROD