Truck does quarter-mile in 12 secs? The Shell you say!

CALGARY — There’s something surreal about seeing a truck as old as tie-dye T-shirts doing the quarter mile at a buck-20 (miles, per) in under 15 seconds.

But that’s what this 3,100-hp, nitrous-injected class 8 Kenworth can do even though it came off the assembly line in 1968.

It also, you’ll see if you click on this link, comes with its own perfect soundtrack.

Five years ago, the folks at Shell Rotella T realized that the owner of the truck, “Smokin” Gary Cooper, had been using their brand for ages. So in 2005, the oil company hopped aboard and became an official sponsor.

"No matter how hot I run," Cooper says, "I know that Rotella T will keep my engine protected and continuously adapt to the needs of my engine for protection in these tough off-highway applications."

Ranked in the Top Five Fastest Diesel Drag Racing Pro Rig in North America, the Smokin’ Gun puts the rig’s Detroit Diesel 8V92 twin-turbo engine through some of the harshest racing conditions.

A blur when it zips by, the Smoking
Gun hits 60′ in 1.71 seconds.

This summer, watch for Cooper as he continues to tour Canada with the Smokin’ Gun, wowing race fans with spectacular burnouts and fast quarter-mile runs.

When the racing season ends Gord goes back to work full time hauling oversize and delicate oilfield equipment with his commercial trucking company, O.C.E.A.N Hauling & Hotshot Ltd.

Cooper grew up in Ayers Cliff, a small town in Eastern Canada. He attended Dawson College before joining the Armed Forces as a military engineer.

After seven years, Cooper resigned from the military and soon he began a career in trucking. He now resides with his family in Calgary.