BOISE, Idaho — Starting this Thursday and through Saturday, the fastest production cars in the world will gather at Sun Valley for the annual Tour de Force.
It's a chance for speed demons to test the abilities of their cars -- legally.
Shelby G-T Mustangs, Porsche GT3s, that's the kind of high-priced supercars you'll find at the sixth annual Tour de Force this week. But, in the world of cars, different is generally better, and a small company in Garden City has created a monster of an MG that may be the only of its type to show up.
Your standard MGB roadster has about a hundred horsepower. But the MGB built by Throttle Works has closer to 400 horsepower ... and its driver plans to set them all free on the road to Galena Lodge.
"These cars are designed for this, completely custom-engineered suspension and different power plant," explains Throttle Works GM, Shane Rolph. "They're designed race cars we can drive on the street."
Last year, Shane took Throttle Works' MGB to Tour de Force on a whim, hoping to hit 140 mph. When he finished his run, there was so much commotion, he says he thought someone crashed. What he didn't know was he just topped 162 miles per hour in an open-top roadster.
"I had no idea how fast I ran until I came into the pits. And everyone was going crazy," explains Shane.
And you can't really blame him for not looking at the speedometer. At such high speeds, tiny bumps can send the car all over the road. "This car being so small, it's taking you all over," explains Shane. "I mean I'm REALLY driving the car."
This year, he's serious about setting up the MGB to go fast, and the roadster is undergoing some last-minute suspension changes. "It's been an obsession of mine since I was a kid on a bike," explains Shane. "As fast as I could go the happier I was."
Shane's personal top speed behind the wheel of a car is 166 miles per hour. And he hopes to come close to that with the MGB at Tour de Force.
The Sun Valley Tour de Force will have modern race cars topping 200 miles per hour. The event starts this Thursday and runs through Saturday. Proceeds from the racers go to the hunger coalition, a local food pantry. Shane says the racers pay five thousand dollars for each high-speed run.
Anyone can watch the speed runs but there are strict rules regarding how far you must stay from the road.
Of course, you can see them all up close at the car show held Friday night at Festival Meadow in Sun Valley between 5:00pm - 8:00pm. The car show is a free event for spectators.
