The OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational is a yearly, countrywide search for the ultimate street car that comes to an end right after the SEMA show.
At this year’s Optima Ultimate Streetcar Invitational, there were unique cars that ranged from classic to modern. Spectators saw everything from Lamborghini Gallardos to Chevy Novas, to Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions. This year, they had the biggest field of competitors to date, which topped out at 91.
The series consists of multiple scoured events such as the autocross, Speed Stop and more. Drivers put their cars through the performance ringer at the events.
One of the most difficult events, is the aforementioned Speed Stop. Per the USCA rules, Participants must complete a minimum of three timed runs over a fixed course. The official time for each run will be as measured by the automatic timer plus any penalties incurred. Failure to complete at least three timed laps during the speed-stop segment will result in a DNF.
Even though most of the drivers are pretty well known and experienced, the Speed Stop test is generally hard to accomplish as many of the older cars lack an ABS system.
Watch some of the funny, squirming stop attempts in the video above. While we acknowledge this is a lot harder than it looks, it is fun to hear the crowd ooh and ahh at all of the cars that overshot their mark, though.