WATCH THIS: C8 Corvette Shatters World Record

Remember when we called the C8 Corvette the affordable mid-engined supercar? We stand by our word, and women like Emelia Hartford continue to solidify this claim. With that said, enthusiasts have described the car as a nightmare of such, and not because of its speed and capability. Corvette owners mention the GM encrypted code on the ECU has “yet to be cracked,” causing additional challenges for upgrades.

Companies have been working at a frantic pace to solve the issue for tuning purposes. C8 owners have been upgrading around the electronics to push the limits of these assassin vehicles. One such team that has brought the car world to its knees is Emelia Hartford and crew, despite having their documented issues with the new Corvette.

Hartford has a YouTube channel where she shares content on her C8 and other cars her team builds. In a twist of irony, she had no intention of modding the C8 at first.

“I didn’t have any intentions of modding the car when I got it, but as you can see, that didn’t last very long. After taking delivery of the car last March, I stopped at the drag strip with a nitrous bottle on my way home across the country and was immediately excited for the potential and puzzle of this new platform.”

If you watch Hartford’s videos when she and the crew begin modifications on the C8, it’s apparent these cars are selective and would rather remain stock. Although some mods have worked out better than others, there have been limitations. After the nitrous system, which they admit had its limits, they moved to a twin-turbo setup.

After some experimentation, Hartford’s team found the turbocharged combination hurt the engine. With a new short block with forged pistons in the cylinders, the car was pieced back together and ready to roll.

However, they discovered more problems as more changes were implemented. A performance controller was installed to manipulate the boost, and a Holley Dominator ECU was used for additional methanol injection and fueling under boost. All of the modifications were essential to work around the tuning issues with the factory ECU.

With all of these additions, the Corvette was finally taking notice and responding well. Hartford’s C8 was dishing out a record-breaking 1,022 horsepower and 942-pound-feet of torque – at the wheels! After a successful session on the dyno, Hartford knew exactly what she needed to do, which was take care of some tires.

The first few runs were on 91 pump gas that she tried burning off before switching over to the good stuff. The C8 already showed some promise with a 10.40 right off the trailer on low boost and a street tune. The crew dropped tire pressure and increased the horsepower, but the C8 kept eating the rubber and only managed a 10.20 on the second pass. After some better track prepping and a better launch, she reached 9.998.

The next pass barely broke the world record at 9.908 at 138 mph, but they weren’t satisfied. Hartford knew she could do better. She was right. The next pass felt different, and she managed a 9.47 at 144.75 mph with a 1.3 60-foot time. That’s great but wasn’t enough for the speed demon. The last pass of the day was 9.41, which is now the record for the fastest C8 Corvette.

“The journey has been a lot of ups and downs, but that’s why it’s special. We’re treading new territory, so it’s exciting when we feel like we’ve crossed another barrier. The original goal was to put the car in the nine-second range, but I feel confident that we can get into the eights. We’re going to have to find out.”

You have to love the confidence, but anyone willing to step behind the wheel of a rocket is not lacking in that department. For the time being, this world record stands, and congratulations to Emelia Hartford for smashing it. We’re looking forward to eights!