What does it mean to have the fastest quarter-mile time in any performance-focused sports car? For manufacturers, it means prestige, giving the car an additional selling point and bragging rights. But, car enthusiasts and mechanics are seemingly never satisfied with what the car can do from the factory. In fact, the performance a car offers from the manufacturer is typically a bit toned back with the goal of prolonging the life and quality of the vehicle rather than breaking records. For car builders, the numbers provided by manufacturers are just a starting point meant to be improved on with heavy modifications and tuning, and for Emelia Hartford and her team, that meant building the fastest quarter-mile time Chevrolet C8 Corvette.

The C8 quarter mile record

Emelia Hartford not only set the record for the world’s fastest C8 Corette on the quarter-mile, but she also broke it a second time. The record itself was set by a heavily modified C8 built by Emelia and her team, with a car pushing an impressive 1,022 hp and plenty of torque provided by the 942 lb-ft of torque delivered to the wheels which, were, of course, sporting drag radials. It broke the record for the fastest quarter-mile time with the C8 at a sub-ten second time of 9.41 seconds.

Who is Emelia Hartford?

If you don’t recognize the name Emelia Hartford, chances are you’d recognize her if you saw her. She has quickly become a social media icon in the automotive world, taking the stage to inspire young women interested in motorsports. She’s known for her talented driving abilities on and off the track, as well as her record-breaking drag-racing C8 Corvette. You’ll catch her collaborating with other YouTubers, especially if it involves racing, and she has her own channel showing off her own builds and insane projects.

The C8 Corvette has been rather controversial

From the introduction of the mid-engine design, the C8 generation of the Chevrolet Corvette has been controversial, and that only got worse as production was unable to live up to preorders and demands. Because of this, this borderline supercar has been selling for well above MSRP even on the used market, ruining the car’s reputation of being the “every man’s sports car” with its insane prices reaching over six figures. Regardless of the controversy, the mid-engine Corvette has proven to at least offer the power and performance we’ve come to know and expect from the brand, but also the ability to heavily tune and modify the engine and drivetrain to produce even more power, as Emelia Hartford has shown.

Several other YouTube-oriented performance car builders have stepped up to try and build a C8 that could break Emelia Hartford’s record, and with companies like Hennessey Performance offering heavily modified variations that produce a nauseating amount of power, only time will tell how long she will hold this fun record — and who knows, she might just break the record again herself.