Mountain Motor

A Mountain Motor is a large-displacement, naturally aspirated engine used in drag racing that typically ranges from 820 to 843+ cubic inches and can produce nearly 2,000 horsepower.

The term "Mountain Motor" gets its name from the engine's massive size compared to standard racing engines. These powerful motors are built without turbochargers or superchargers, relying instead on their enormous displacement to generate incredible power. Think of displacement as the total volume of all the engine's cylinders - the bigger this number, the more fuel and air the engine can burn to create power.

Mountain Motors are primarily used in specialized drag racing classes, most notably Mountain Motor Pro Stock. In this racing category, cars equipped with these engines can complete a quarter-mile run in the low 6-second range while reaching speeds over 225 mph. To put this in perspective, a typical street car might take 15-18 seconds to cover the same distance.

These engines run on high-octane racing gasoline rather than pump gas, and they're built with premium components like titanium valves. They operate at extremely high compression ratios around 18:1, which means the fuel and air mixture gets squeezed much tighter than in a regular car engine before ignition.

The Mountain Motor concept originated with the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) as a way to simplify racing rules. Instead of using complex formulas to balance different engine types, this class simply allows naturally aspirated engines up to a certain size limit. The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) has adopted similar rules, typically capping displacement at 843 cubic inches.

Professional teams like Elite Motorsports compete in Mountain Motor Pro Stock, with drivers like Erica Enders piloting these powerful machines. Specialized engine builders such as Sonny's Racing Engines have developed unique designs specifically for Mountain Motor applications, pushing the boundaries of naturally aspirated performance.