f you were to look at a list of "who's who" in street car racing, you'd find the name Mike Moran near the top of the list. Even before the likes of Tony Christian and Pat Musi took to the street car scene, you could find Mike either tuning or driving a hot rod. To his credit are several Top 10 fastest street car jackets and in 1996 he took the top honors in "Casper" as the "world's fastest street car", a car which forever changed the scene of street car racing as we know it.

Fast forward to 2003 and another car emerged from the Moran racing stable promising not only to change the face of street car racing but have a dramatic impact on doorslammer racing all over the world.

Could Mike Moran be the Buddy Ingersol of Pro Modified? [Editor's note: Ingersol ran a twin-turbo Buick in IHRA and was banned from Pro Mod and Pro Stock competition. He ended up running outlaw.] While that remains to be seen, it's evident that, although Moran hasn't been on the track the last few years with the exception of the Orlando World Street Nationals, he has continued to be a force. He still builds the laughing gas motors for some record holding entries in the street car series such as Dale Pittman and Rob Golobo, as well as providing turbo power for Greg Blevins and a host of others.

Mike has always been a fan of technology. Hooking up with longtime friend John Meaney (one of the pioneers of high performance fuel injection systems) is proving to be a lethal combination as the twin turbocharged powerplant in his Monte Carlo makes over 3300 hp and 2600 ft/lbs of torque.

Many people remember that Moran tried his hand at a quad turbo big block Chevy a few years back in Orlando. Since the combination was already banned by the street car sanctioning bodies, he didn't pursue that technology to optimize the combination but instead turned his efforts to building a new combination.

The 1999 Monte Carlo started life as an IHRA legal Pro Stock entry. Gordon Sprosek and Bart Lemiux purchased the car and, since Moran and Lemiux operate out of the same shop, the three combined forces to form MSL racing and started transforming this mid six-second performer into what eventually aspires to be a five-second doorslammer. The chassis was sent back to the original fabricator, Larry Larson of Larson Race Cars (Oak Grove, MO) for a full update and to install double frame rails to help transfer the brutal torque the monster powerplant can deliver to the ground.

The motor was put together using mostly existing parts which is how the 540 c.i. displacement was derived. The motor uses JE Pistons connected to GRP connecting rods. Air is forced through the motor with two Precision Turbo 91mm turbos and is moved efficiently through the motor courtesy of CFE/Moran heads topped with a Jesel valvetrain. Flatout gaskets keep the motor sealed tight and spark is provided via MSD 10 ignition system and controlled with a FAST (Fuel Air Spark Technology) EFI management system. Redline Oil keeps the motor well lubricated and Torco 118 octane fuel is burned, with the resulting exhaust gases routed out via Flowmaster Mufflers. A Racepack V500 system provides the team with loads of data from each pass and is analyzed to make adjustments.