YouTuber pits “Turbinaro” Camaro against “Doc Turbine” minivan in a smoke-filled drag race spectacle.
Cleetus McFarland has built his reputation on improbable automotive experiments, but his latest drag race may top them all. The Florida-based YouTuber staged a head-to-head matchup between a turbine-powered Chevrolet Camaro and a minivan powered by a Rolls-Royce Nimbus helicopter engine, producing a contest as bizarre as it was entertaining.
Nicknamed the “Turbinaro,” the Camaro was expected to deliver about 610 horsepower from its turbine setup. On the dyno, however, it struggled, putting down just 120 horsepower at the wheels. Its challenger, dubbed “Doc Turbine,” was estimated to produce closer to 700 horsepower, making the matchup decidedly lopsided.
To level the playing field, McFarland and his team agreed to rolling-start “hit and catch” races. The Camaro would get a head start, leaving the minivan to reel it in. But once the lights turned green, the minivan’s raw power erased any advantage. In both attempts, the Rolls-Royce–powered van surged forward in a plume of smoke and flames, leaving the Camaro in the dust.
“There’s nothing cooler than seeing a minivan in your rearview mirror with a giant plume behind it, accelerating like a rocket,” McFarland said after watching his Camaro fall twice in dramatic fashion.
Adding to the spectacle was the van’s shark-themed wrap, complete with fire shooting from the exhaust—a fitting flourish for an already surreal matchup.
For McFarland, this is just another chapter in a long line of automotive adventures. The YouTuber, who owns more than 150 vehicles, has also dismantled the world’s fastest minivan, gifted a Corvette Z06 to Travis Pastrana, and attempted record-setting runs in unlikely cars such as a Chevy Spark.
The latest battle proves once again that in McFarland’s garage, anything is possible—even a minivan outrunning a Camaro.
