Vegas native Dean Smith gives Spectre Performance the run down on his 1952 Desoto. This is Dean’s rookie appearance at the Spectre 341 Challenge, however he is a veteran road racer, having driven in the La Carrera Panamericana six times. Enjoy the little tour around this gorgeous 1952 Desoto.

The race itself is a grueling 3500 mile cross country trek, bouncing from track to track and pitting competitors against each other and the clock on some of the fastest road courses in the world. There’s a new track to drive every day, which sounds fun… until you consider that after a long day of driving hard in a race car with a fire suit on, you have to drive 500 miles to the next track! After nine days and races at Road America, Mid America Motorplex, Hallett, Tulsa Raceway Park, Gateway International Raceway, Mid Ohio, New Jersey Motorsports Park and Nelson Ledges, the team finished FIRST in the Vintage American class with 295 class points. We couldn’t be happier for Jim, who built this car chasing a dream, and David – who helped tune and drive what is considered by many one of the finest pro-touring cars in the world. Nice work guys!

Here are some videos from the event:

JW Racing WINS at TOYOTA Speedway 4-10-2010

JW Racing WINS at TOYOTA Speedway 4-24-2010

When: June 25-26, 2010
Where: Nevada Highway 341, South of Virginia City, NV

Spectre Performance is proud to announce the return of road racing competition to one of the most infamous and challenging mountain roads in America – Nevada Highway 341 – for The 1st annual Speed by Spectre 341 Challenge. The race, scheduled for June 25-26, 2010, will pit the world’s fastest street cars against the clock in a full-throttle blast up a mountain road, which will be closed to the public for the event. The challenge will include Pro-Touring Street Machines, European Exotics, and Highly-Tuned Imports competing for a chance to be crowned King of the Hill.

The Speed by Spectre 341 Challenge is a rare opportunity to drive flat-out on some of the most aggressive and challenging mountain roads in the country, without the worry of oncoming traffic or law enforcement. The course is 5.2 miles long with 22+ turns, a 1,216-foot rise in elevation, steep drop offs and no guardrails! Vehicles must be street-legal and registered; no purpose-built kit or race cars will be allowed. Tires must be DOT legal with at least 3/32″ tread depth and a minimum 100 tread wear rating. Qualifying is scheduled for Friday, June 25th. Racing is set for Saturday the 26th.

“We are always looking for ways to go faster, to prove our parts at maximum velocity,” says Spectre Performance founder Amir Rosenbaum. “We autocross and road race our muscle cars and set a 330mph Land Speed Record at Bonneville last year; but to this day one of the most demanding and exhilarating events I’ve ever participated in was the Virginia City Hill Climb. The Speed by Spectre 341 Challenge will bring that excitement back, but with the addition of muscle, exotic and import cars competing against each other it will be an incredible event. We are also very lucky to have FM3 Marketing onboard to ensure everything runs smoothly.”

The original Virginia City Hill Climb was founded in 1972 and ran through 2002. Rosenbaum holds the all time record for the event, running the course in three minutes, ten seconds in a modified Ferrari F40. The Speed by Spectre 341 Challenge will also include a Media Shootout, pitting magazine editors against bloggers and forum members in a project car challenge. Invites will be issued soon and more information will be posted on the website in the coming weeks.