1985 Street Race in Chicago 68 Chevelle v GTX Street Machines. Appearance by Chicago Police.

In the 80’s, the Chicago Street Machines, later the Illiana Street Machines held picnic parties in The Eggers Grove Forest Preserve. The picnics featured muscle car street machines of all kinds. This is a street race between me in my 68 Chevelle and that Mopar that was delayed by the Chicago Police.

[@joycemusgrave161]

Paul here. Those were the days. Remember my 68 396-375 horse four speed. 23 years old. Thought we would live forever. Get cars, music, and friends.

[@jacksonmarshallkramer5087]

I was a sophomore in high school in 85. My school parking lot was full of cars that looked like that. That stance and rim/tire combo was perfect. Don't see em like that anymore.

[@seththomas9105]

Same here. Late 50's to mid 70's cars were the rule, mostley mid 60's to early 70's. Burnouts used to be everywhere.

[@JoeR203]

That's because kids today are into the import cars and lowering the stance so they can rip their fart can mufflers off on a speed bump. I doubt they even know what a camshaft is.

[@tedk2166]

Loved how the headlights pointed straight down back then.

[@pharronrhodes3792]

I know right.

[@richardmorris6365]

I bet Chicago Police wish it was like this now.

[@chrishensley6745]

So True man..and I,m from the south.

[@dsanders5142]

Cops just came through to see who was racing so they could place their bets. That's how it was in America back in the day going back to the 50s.

[@Globerson]

Man, the world was such a happier place then wasn’t it. I’m nostalgic for a time 13 years prior to my own birth. I wish I had memories like these to share, I’m doing what I can but most people are to gutless for this kind of thing today.

[@FJBAFYFVFH]

Hit your local drag strip! Where ya at?

[@theelevatorSRT8]

It was dangerous activity for sure, but something about being "bubble wrapped" now has made our people into great big candy asses, afraid of their own shadow, cowards really. We should never do reckless stupid stuff really but we shouldn't remove risk from everything.

[@matrox]

By the 80s America was well on track to the sh!thole it is now. You should have been around in the 60s. Well I at least got to see the late 50s, 60s and 70s. By the late 70s...you could see the sh!t starting to come apart. I can tell you growing up in the 60s is was a great time for kids. Our father used to take us to a public park in the late 60s to shoot cans with our BB guns, and no one batted an eye. A cop could have cared less about it. Try walking out your house with one today.

[@barneymiller7894]

Just saying, they still shut down the highway to street race in NYC. And I assure you Chicago is going as hard as ever. Kansas city is a street race war zone, so is LA. Theres probably been thirty or so Cash Days races across the country so far summer 2021, most of which had 15+ Cars. If anything, the streets haven't been this active since the 70s 🤷‍♂️

[@debbiedunn4477]

Yes it was

[@segarza]

Back in the mid 70's on any given weekend, there would be at least 200 hotrods in the parking lot of the local mall in my town. Most came from the local dragstrip after it closed for the night. We never caused any trouble so the cops let us be. Around 1979 to 80, the ricers started to invade our group of peaceful gearheads, driving crazy thru the parking lot. Doing donuts. fighting. Leaving trash everywhere. Then the cops started to chase everyone off. That was the end of an amazing time to cruise.

[@richiespeed3565]

Brings back a lot of memories fun watching that race I was a kid in the late sixties I'm 67 years old now and for a 67 year old I'm still driving a 2011 Mustang and still have for the last 40 years my 69 GTO 4-speed and my 73 Plymouth Duster keeps you young this stuff it keeps you young I'm still a ball buster at age 67 I usually wait for some sucker to think they're going to show me something and I usually blow them off the map happy New Year everybody

[@robertharing7031]

Keep it up my friend I’m sure you’re fun to chill with I wish you the best stay young

[@peteartussee1202]

Man what I'd give to go back to those days. It was such a happier time.

[@christophersanders5007]

I was a kid in High School back in the mid to late 70's when muscle cars where just starting to be sold off by the original owners as used cars. In 1978 I bought a 1970 Buick GS Skylark with a big block 455 in it for only $700.

[@steves9905]

In 1977 as a high school junior I bought a 67 GTO with four speed and a busted drivers window for $450. Lots of cheap used muscle back then

[@Jack-sk2el]

Spent more than you Paid, on fuel ⛽ getting it Home 🏡 🤔😂

[@electrichellion5946]

Wish you still had it or could have it back as it was?

[@christophersanders5007]

@@electrichellion5946 I ended up trading my Buick GS in 1988 for a 1985 Chevy K30. At the time the truck was worth the same amount of money as my Buick GS, but today the GS would be worth more.

[@TheCanadianBubba]

68 Chevelle's are my favorites ! Those skinny taillights give me the fizz !

[@richardmorris6365]

Roofline & general shape & stance,I learned to drive on a black 396.

[@smb7647]

that's a bad ass car, my favorite also👍🏻

[@jojogun1957]

I hear you! I had a 67 SS396 But always wanted a 68. The 66's looked great with the skinny tail lights too.

[@randylear8264]

Did those exact things back then and in the late 70s. But I was in NC. I still have my 70 GTX 440-6. And my 70 Challenger R/T. So glad I hung on to them. I drive them weekly. So many racing memories back in the day. Stop light to stop light. Then a few money races to make it interesting. Those were the days.

[@xmo552]

When skill not computers ran the roads.

[@scottsmith1386]

Those were the days. I want it back versus today's screwed up times.

[@V8Deuce]

Mid 1980s - '66 GTO , 400, 11.1 compression, Trip power, Turbo 400 trans, 12 bolts rear with 4.11 posi - red with centerlines. Those were the days

[@sabre-ub3op]

Yep just graduated had a 65 Malibu SS factory air pearl white blue bucket seats pulled the 283 out put a built 327 in and headed to Myrtle beach...im 57 now and sold it a year ago

[@richardstall4351]

Man gets that adrenaline in flow I'm from Michigan and over by Marion Springs theirs a family of about 6 homes of the same family they All have shade tree muscle car's mostly Mopar and Ford others show up on flatbeds they drag race and just have fun back in the early days their father's did the same thing we used to be able to bring fire wood and keg's and stuff but they don't allow that anymore not since some guy brought a Road Runner in on a trailer and the cops told him not to take his car off the trailer and not to run well he did they were waiting down the road got behind him and my buddy the road runner hit a cop car during the chase at 160+ miles an hour the driver and his passenger flew out of the windshield everyone lived but the passenger mangled his hand passenger sued and won against the police and the other guy got the totaled Road Runner back and sold it and fled the state. I also was lucky enough to see Cruz nights miss that very much. Happy New Year Everyone

[@mikewasfaret9563]

Brings back memories! I graduated in 1980. In 82 I bought a 69 Chevelle. I built a 402 for it and did a lot of street racing. I sold it in 83 and bought a 74 Nova SS, built a 400 sbc, car was much quicker.

[@smb7647]

Great times, parts were everywhere, and cheap, you could wander the junk yards for hours

[@newedgegt305]

They still do this in chicago, except it's usually in a Nissan and they're shooting a gun out the window.....

[@BumpTune8462]

Its usually black people too

[@ljmorris6496]

Yes, it wasn't a piece of crime in Chicago in '85...🙄

[@cliffbrown2566]

​@@ljmorris6496A lot less than now. Shall i Google crime rate in 85??

[@theinsaneshecklador6598]

@@cliffbrown2566 I just googled it. 666 murders in 1985, 617 in 2023.

[@patricklandon8399]

U have been culturally enriched. Don't u just love diversity

[@Motor-City-Mike]

Such cool memories! The cars, the freedom, excitement of racing. Thing was - we didn't race near housing nor populated areas, even back then, we realized we had no business gambling on someone else's safety. We knew that We got whatever we got if something went sideways, we put ourselves there.

[@killla]

This is on 112th street on the East Side. That’s amazing

[@47coffee]

Yep just found it on Google maps, 113th and S Avenue east. All the houses are matching up and can see right where the cameraman and everybody was hanging out at. Has a wooden sign posted labeled as "Egger's Grove".

[@badgerbait8351]

What a great flashback! But I must say that we were much more careful and selective about where we would mix it up!

[@segarza]

Loved that time back then. I had a 55 chevy, 396 rat motor, Muncie 4 speed, 12 bolt rearend with 4.10 gears. 2 years later I had a 66 Nova 2 door coupe. Still have it to this day. Back then it was all carburetors, except for a few mechanical fuel injection setups, but those were pretty rare. Forced induction was for the rich guys and nitrous was for cheaters. I still have dreams of getting into races with my old hotrods.

[@switch625.]

That was beautiful

[@theelevatorSRT8]

Thank you!

[@oldscoolcooldiecast1879]

Lots of memories from watching this. Thank you

[@tayeeinthacut9661]

Just the scenery makes me happy 😌

[@bobbellendovich6825]

There's no morbidly obese people in this video.

[@EBthere]

Yeah you're right. People were doing things and having fun. Not living on their computers.

[@atatterson6992]

And just one shade...

[@fuhrstpuhl3278]

2nd gear pull usually decides a street race and the Chevelle had a brutal pull, a big block chevy in the right hands is a nasty thing to deal with.....

[@jimh2061]

So true! I had a wicked first gear in my goat but my buddy had a goat with a big block pro built Chevy. I drove his car and his pulled in 2nd like mine did in 1st. I was like yikes!

[@coxgaspoweredtether]

Nice! Had em loved em.Check my you tube channel for more chevelles ss...

[@mzaccagnini7179]

Love those old school AMERICAN MUSCLE CARS.😊😊😊

[@shanerodrigue783]

Brings back great memories thanks

[@blaineloustaunau5816]

79-80 I was 16 in the summer of 79 when I bought my 69 roadrunner 440 12:1 compression stage 4 heads dual 750 Holley double pumpers 727 torqueflight reverse manual valve body Dana 60 4.11 posi. Ran 11.0 on 50's street tires.

[@a.t1313]

16 with that kind of power? You're lucky to have survived.

[@georgejames6376]

​@a.t1313 he survived just fine because his post was BS

[@darrinleischer6709]

The good ole days

[@emickett]

Thanks for giving me a memory of my teenage years!

[@bigbow62]

Good race... thought the GTX might have pulled him on the top end but the Chevelle held him off. I'm a Chevelle man ( 2- 66' Chevelles / Malibu & SS ) from way back late 70's so seeing that old school lifted ride makes me think of the old days when cars like that were the norm or extreme Calif. rakes 😉 Thank you for the video and memories of simpler times oh how i miss them 😢

[@richardmorris6365]

That was a fast 68,love that yr & he had that running well.😊

[@rader1175]

Chevelle all the way, he just hit the hooks early. Chevys !!

[@mikestoneclark]

Love this! not only did I have a 68 chevelle (L79 327 /4speed / 12 bolt 3.73 Posi), but used to drag race on the street ALL the time. Wish I had videos form back then! Thanks for posting.

[@christina-fg6tr]

Back when you could see a cop a mile away...Awesome video! 🙂

[@tomikhaos7248]

Reminds me of one of my first Chevelles the Chevelle I have now she is super Wicked very nice beautiful video thanks so much for posting this brought back a lot of memories and a lot more to come

[@omarboone1220]

THAT was a REAL street race!

[@clintcalvert9250]

Weekends were great back then

[@seththomas9105]

John Mellencamp said it best about the Midwest school daze. "The winter day's lasted forever, but the weekends went by so quick."

[@packrcch]

wow!….look at that cop car ….. nothing but explorers here now …..

[@smb7647]

Graduated in 83, was driving a 73 Nova SS with a 4spd and air shocks, we drag raced every weekend at the local industrial park, what a time!!!

[@stevecobb2592]

Nice , im smiling ear to ear , back whem life wasnt so seriouse

[@atatterson6992]

Back when Chicago was Chicago. Now Memorial Day weekend in Chicago is the bloodiest and deadliest 3 days in all of America. Well done "diversity".

[@gatortrainchaser2080]

Nice Street drag racing with CLASSIC American Muscle!!!! WOW!!!

[@FJBAFYFVFH]

Just goes to show even back then the man was still trying to keep us down LMAO

[@theelevatorSRT8]

Yes! Or trying keep us from killing ourselves in a fast car. It's a balance.

[@LionsTigersBears]

That was real racing. Not these crazy drifting and round and rounds in the intersections. And shootings

[@billybike57]

That’s so cool!

[@jeffreyyeater1780]

Im from Akron. We did the same stuff on friday and sat nights . Some guys actually brought cars on trailers . Lotta fun , and we didnt hurt anything .

[@jimstenlund6017]

We had some good video cameras available back then, record straight to a VCR tape.

[@alvingriggs6932]

Love when we street raced in Nashville Tn. My brother had a 68 Chevelle 4 door sleeper 408 5.7 rods never got beat by any N/A car

[@jamesedmonds1350]

Miss those days. Used to do that in the 70s right down the middle of town. On Texas Ave. Texas. U.S.A.

[@user-xo8xu9cf8j]

Edgar's Grove on 112,east side,remember it well

[@marcmaz21]

That’s what I thought it was. Actually could’ve been my Dad in the squad car. Those were good days.

[@rdakota428]

Love it!

[@theelevatorSRT8]

Me too!

[@michaellambert3067]

That is a cool old video! The guy that won with the '68 Chevelle has the same first and middle name as my son. I bought a '69 Camaro when I was about 16 or 17 years old in around 1981 or 1982. It was my second car. I also bought a '70 Chevelle in the mid '80s. I wish I still had those cool old Chevys!

[@steverugerguy9606]

Had a 68 ss chevelle in high scool back in 83,84....loved that car.

[@ItsCleto]

Oh how I wish I was around then, I was born in 2000. right into the wrong times.

[@chrishensley6745]

Dam Traffic!....I love it man...still got my 68 ss/same color scheme as this one/but stock...owned since 92.....those Mopar guys always thought they were faster!

[@BillyJoBuck]

67 390gt mustang 365hp auto 9in posi. That was my bad ass car at that time. Currently 51 5 window chevy pickup and 34 chevy 2dr sedan. Both sbc cars. Went from the to sixtys to my sixtys.

[@TheSmoke420TiresBbqGuns]

Lol I'm picturing the guy holding that 80s camcorder like a trophy while filming

[@Chrisuperfly1]

Watching this makes me wish it was '85 all over again.

[@mocarpenter8836]

Bow Tie FTW !!

[@danieldavis9832]

I really was born in the wrong generation

[@matrox]

50s and 60s was better. By the late 70s America was slowly becoming the sh!thole we currently reside in.

[@danieldavis9832]

@@matrox I was about to say there was better looking cars but remember everything got very ugly fast

[@matrox]

@@danieldavis9832 Society as a whole today is a sh!thole compared to the 50s, 60s and early 70s. Like night and day.

[@Impactjunky]

I love how hard the Mopar B bodies come off the line. It didn't have the horsepower to keep up with that badass built Chevelle but it hooked up and hit the road hard enough to run with a much faster car for a moment or two. My 68 Satellite gets great traction with almost 12 inches of rubber on each side.

[@rickuyeda4818]

In the 70's, we'd race after midnight so there's no traffic.

[@oicu81b42eh]

love that you could spot a cop car from a mile away. back when they weren't so much about revenue

[@bruceeide4359]

'68 Chevelle's are so bitchin'... 😊

[@Riverdeepnwide]

I like that Aspen Wagon at 1:28

[@mgcarr61camaro91]

Wow thats the way it was in Toronto too ! Same dam impala cop cars too !Lol 🇨🇦🇺🇸

[@rockofagesusa7942]

Those were the good times

[@raspolive]

I think im in that video . I make a u turn up by the tracks to watch the race in a Maroin 1985 Buick Rivera .

[@meetjohndoe1078]

what woods was that on the forest preserve sign? ---eyers woods? must be the northside or the eastside b/c they go under an expressway overpass.

[@mantassapalas3810]

Guys i dont live in USA, and not at that time, but i imagine how cool it is.

[@fistteam]

Ahhh, what I would give to go back & relive the 80’s All over again…1985 My Sr year in HS! Betch’a Brian wishes he still had that Chevelle, if it wasn’t totaled back then!?! My built ‘72 Monte Carlo had a similar stance w/ those Gabriel Hijackers on the rear, just air’em up or let’em down!! 😊

[@garrywitcomb2334]

Great footage Better days Nobody stood with there stupid phones out filming it,gobbin off like they knew what was gonna happen . . .

[@SamaelVR]

It just isn't fair. You could flip burgers for a living and own a ride like that at a reasonable price. Do you think they'd trade their timeline for mine just because I can get paid to play video games easier than ever? I wouldn't trade up if I were them.

[@trock575]

Ladder bar’s work

[@michaelpike1704]

My first car black on black 69 Malibu the only one I miss , the last owner never listen to mother or girl friend.when it comes to letting go of a Chevelle.

[@ronniehaley729]

Epic

[@aakar88]

Beautiful Chevelle, WTF, the dude never heard of a dragstrip?

[@rayfabbri3759]

Well done

[@boostbeast8731]

Back when low 13s was a fast street car.

[@atatterson6992]

Back when cars were cool...

[@lylejohnston4125]

My '55 210 did 13 flat all night long down on Lower River Road. That was enough to beat almost everyone around. The guys that came and shut me down were turning 11s or quicker. That's just judging by how looong it took to get to the finish line after they trounced me!

[@midnight347]

​@atatterson6992 this. I still like modern cars alot too I'm more of a 80s-2000s kind of guy don't like the brand new stuff as much and today it's so easy for people with all these copy and paste builds and modern autos and tuning take the driver out of the equation I liked the days when alot of people ran stick shift it was driver vs driver and driver could be the wild card. Today 90% of people can't even drive a manual the other 10% don't know what it is other than the "slow" option. People have forgotten what cars are all about and what made all this fun to start with. Now everybody is obsessed with dyno numbers and they don't wanna bother with anything that isn't newer where they can do brainless copy and paste builds lol. I hope my rant at least makes some kind of sense to someone I'm pretty tired so I'm going to bed now os.

[@atatterson6992]

@@midnight347 Excellent rant my friend. I'm just a couple decades before you, 60s and 70s muscle cars are my thing. I don't have a fancy computer that I can plug in and review codes... I'm more of the era when you plop down an old starter or alternator core on the counter, they give you a new/rebuilt one, I take that home, install, wash my hands, and continue on with life. Happy New Year

[@ct87gn25]

I bet Chicago PD really miss those days. Now they're dealing with 20 shootings a weekend, at least....

[@theinsaneshecklador6598]

Somebody else mentioned drivebys so I googled it. 666 murders in 1985, 617 in 2023.

[@jadamec]

Be nice to know what engines were in these things {if'n ya remember} My guess, the Chevelle was hopped up a bit ? My era was about 7-8 yrs prior to, with kinda a sleeper, 68 ElCamino. No S.S., Had a factory 350 in it but it was the top of the line, 350H.P. 4-speed w/a posi rear end. Was a good time 'till I tore it all up.

[@dmoney3508]

Fimed at Eggers Grove Forest Preserve on the East Side

[@larrycumbo2023]

Did this many times archer ave 2am Garfield ridge area

[@rodneycody8746]

Nice

[@davidkeeton6716]

How about letting the air pressure down to around 20psi with street tires and do a burnout with the line lock on before launching.

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

so,get a time machine and go back 40 yrs to change the outcome of the video..........................................bruh

[@midnight347]

​@@trillrifaxegrindor4411lmao lol

[@midnight347]

This video is 40 years old lol

[@akaHermanSnerd]

Pretty clean for a Chicago car. Most everything that old at the time was a rusted heap

[@gradyturner3367]

nice romp down memory lane thanks.... this could be anytown USA im from Arkansas and we street raced just to not be bored.... lol i graduated high school in 84 so the cars an such are awesome .... like the new at that time camaro in the first part....

[@frez777]

legit launch

[@dougwilliams44]

Used to run my Dad's A12 440/6Barrel Roadrunner by there back in 86,87.. That silver Chevelle LOST 😂

[@paulherbert5548]

South East side?

[@raspolive]

That's Edgars Grove on the East Side.

[@user-pu5ym2zh4g]

Chacigo had a much different look back than

[@oldrustycars]

The reverse lights seem to be on on the Chevelle. 4 speed GM cars back then had a link from the shift linkage that required the car to be in reverse to start it. That link was in the way of headers when they got installed, so you had to twist the sleeve on the steering column to turn the lights off.

[@frankE91210]

yee haw

[@Doug-mc3dd]

Neither one could get traction.

[@crowdog56]

Yeah, like my 'hood in the 60s. Racing at the light at 6th and Pearl. Just name an old school muscle car and it was there, burning off their bias ply tires. Don't know where the hell the cops were hiding...

[@299charles]

Boy that shovel was goneeeeeeee

[@jasev587]

Ladder bars

[@jeffreyburress2200]

Even for a while. Missed a gear maybe?

[@danreid6712]

Rollers !

[@midwestspeed7889]

Looks like the east side

[@killla]

That’s exactly where it is.

[@chrisadams416]

Ghetto as all hell now !!