New Murder Nova Ready to Regain Top Spot
Street Outlaws Veteran Shawn Ellington Returns with Faster, Lighter New Murder Nova 2.0
For fans of the hit TV show Street Outlaws, driver Shawn Ellington and his ride, Murder Nova, need no introduction. Ellington has long resided at the top of Oklahoma’s top ten street racing list. This, despite driving a steel car he affectionately refers to as the “death trap.” After losing his spot atop the list last season to a group of lighter, faster cars, Ellington went back to the drawing board. And what he came up with is a much improved, new Murder Nova.
The new Murder Nova surfaced at the PRI show in the Precision Turbo booth. And even though it looks a lot like the original Murder Nova, the new car couldn’t be much more different. The front frame rails and A-arms remain, as does the steel body. But carbon fiber and titanium were used throughout to shed pounds. Plus, chromoly was used in place of mild steel to further lighten things up and increase strength.
The diet continues under the hood, where a new billet aluminum 482 cubic inch small block resides. It’s a huge step up from the old car, which often frustrated with tire shake issues. Despite those issues and the many tactical disadvantages, however, the old Murder Nova enjoyed tremendous success.
That bodes well for the new car, which has been under construction for a year and a half. And it isn’t even technically finished yet. The car still needs to be wired, and the engine hasn’t yet been fired up. Ellington expects to start testing the car in February and be ready to roll for next season. Fans should be excited, while the top of the list should be more than a little nervous.
