Most people don't see a 1969 Chevy C30 tow truck and think, "I bet I can smoke a Tesla with that." Then again, most people aren't John Brito and Dustin Hallinan from Driveway Finds. For these two YouTubers and automotive madmen, ordinary just won't cut it.
They're becoming a stable of LS Fest West, and their latest build caused controversy this year. No, it's not a Hellcat engine under the hood. Remember, that's the one rule for LS Fest: it must be LS-powered. Instead, the guys stole a Mopar supercharger and mounted it on an LS engine.
Brito describes their build as possibly, "one of the first five running and driving LS engines with a Hellcat supercharger strapped to it." Under the hood, it's a stout 6.0-liter LS equipped with a massive Tick Performance camshaft, breathing heavily through that unmistakable Hellcat blower whine.
Originally a Detroit-born Canfield Wrecker conversion, this '69 C30 spent decades pulling wrecked vehicles off Idaho highways. But after landing in Brito and Hallinan's hands, its fate shifted drastically from workhorse to muscle-bound internet star. "We thought, what if we made it just insanely stupid fast, so we could do pulls on Teslas and beat them?" Brito says. Challenge accepted.
But beyond making tech bros weep from stoplight to stoplight, the duo has an even loftier ambition—claiming the official title of "World's Fastest Tow Truck."
The "World's Fastest Tow Truck" set the record at Talladega Superspeedway in 1979 with a 454 big-block Chevy. Currently, that record sits at a sustained 109 mph run, topping out around 136 mph. Brito's testing shows their Frankenstein wrecker can match that 109 mph mark without breaking a sweat, even on a hastily built setup that was finished mere days before the event.
The fastest truck towing something, is held by Jason Sands, towing a camper at El Mirage. That's a slightly different record, as this is a tow truck, not a truck towing a trailer. Either way, they anticipate smashing some records this year.
But, the duo has some work left ahead of them. They drove part of the way to LS Fest West in the tow truck, "the first time I let the clutch out hard, it just immediately twisted [the driveshaft]," said Brito. Behind the LS is the original transmission, which powers the hydraulics for the tow truck.
Plans include beefier driveline components and possibly a displacement bump to a 408 cubic-inch configuration. Although electric conversions for the tow equipment are tempting, Brito insists he loves the nostalgia and raw mechanical functionality of its original PTO system. "It works. I could hook up to any car right now and tow it."
Brito hesitates to use the "influencer" label at all. Their niche? Turning wild automotive dreams into head-turning reality. LS-swapped classic Mercedes sedans with manual transmissions? Check. Rusty Tri-Five? Oh yeah. Insane burnout machines? Obviously.
At LS Fest, Brito's Mercedes—with its own LS heart and classic Muncie gearbox—shredded tires in the Burnout Wars event along with their trusty Tri-Five Gasser. But the tow truck, this time, stayed burnout-free. Instead, Brito's saving that spectacular rubber-burning debut for a bigger stage: the burnout pit at SEMA. "I already talked to Zach [from Burnout Wars]," Brito confirms with excitement. "If we're there, we'll debut this thing doing burnouts."
The Driveway Finds team embodies car culture's best traits: creativity, resourcefulness, and the relentless pursuit of automotive absurdity. Brito humorously admits the nostalgic appeal of driving a tow truck: "As a kid, it's like firefighter, cop, and tow truck driver. You think, 'that'd be cool, I could be that guy.'"
Take a look at our day-by-day coverage of the mayhem that was LS Fest West here.
