Emelia Hartford is a custom car builder, television host, and actress. She is most known for building one of the world's fastest custom Corvette C8s and her performance car customization YouTube channel, which launched in 2017.

Emelia Hartford
Hartford in 2021
Born (1993-07-29) July 29, 1993 (age 31)[citation needed]
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)YouTuber, actress, TV host, influencer
Years active2017–present
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2017–present
Genrevlogs
Subscribers1.72 million[1]
Total views479.34 million[1]
100,000 subscribers
1,000,000 subscribers

Last updated: October 14, 2024
Websiteemeliahartford.com

Background

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Before launching her YouTube channel, Hartford juggled small acting gigs between service industry jobs. As a hobby after her work shifts, she would work on customizing her cars and occasionally chronicled her progress with posts on Instagram. Her Instagram posts eventually led to tire manufacturer Michelin inviting her to New York to launch its performance summer tire, the Pilot Sport 4S. At the Michelin event, Hartford met other car-build influencers who advised her how to create videos. Afterward, she bought her first camera and started her YouTube channel. As of March 2021, her YouTube videos had more than 72 million views.[2]

Corvette C8 Build

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"Phoenix", Hartford's custom Corvette C8, is one of the fastest C8s in the world and once held the record for quickest C8 in the quarter-mile.[3] In June 2021, Hartford drove the car to a 9.36-second time with a trap speed of 147 miles per hour (237 km/h) at the Famoso Raceway in Southern California during a private testing event. This result surpassed her previous record of 9.41 seconds at 144 mph (232 km/h) set in March 2021.[4] This record was later surpassed by a custom C8 by FuelTech which finished the quarter-mile in 8.973 seconds at 160.92 miles per hour (258.98 km/h).[5][6]

Film, TV, and media

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Before starting her YouTube channel, Hartford took small acting roles in various films. She has continued acting and her most recent role was in the 2021 Netflix film A California Christmas: City Lights.[7]

Hartford has also been a host or judge on numerous shows. She appeared on the second season of Netflix's reality TV show, Fastest Car, and was a judge on SEMA: Battle of the Builders. In June 2022, Motor Trend Group announced that Hartford would be one of the hosts of its new animated series, Super Turbo Story Time.[8]

Hartford has appeared in media with major American automakers. In 2020, she co-starred with NBA player Devin Booker in a short film by Chevrolet for the release of the 2023 Corvette Z06.[9] In June 2022, she appeared as a guest on the podcast of Jim Farley, CEO of Ford Motor Company.[10][11]

In 2023, Hartford played Leah Vega in the sports drama film Gran Turismo.[12] In September of that year, she also began co-hosting the weekly podcast Car Stories alongside co-host Sung Kang; co-star of the Fast & Furious franchise.

References

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  1. ^ a b "About Emelia Hartford". YouTube.
  2. ^ Porter, Ryan (March 20, 2021). "Driving Instagram Traffic and Likes". The Toronto Star.
  3. ^ Yekikian, Nick (August 3, 2021). "How Emelia Hartford Built Her Sub-10-Second C8 Corvette". Motor Trend.
  4. ^ Silvestro, Brian (March 8, 2021). "Watch This 1022-HP Twin-Turbo C8 Corvette Break its Own Quarter-Mile World Record". Yahoo News.
  5. ^ Symes, Steven (June 23, 2022). "Get a Closer Look at the World's Fastest C8 Corvette". Yahoo News.
  6. ^ Angelov, Dim (September 20, 2021). "Emelia Hartford no longer has the most powerful C8 Corvette". Top Speed.
  7. ^ "Interview: Emelia Hartford Talks City Lights on Netflix, Driving & More". Popternative. December 9, 2021.
  8. ^ Hopewell, John (June 9, 2022). "MotorTrend and Big Mouth Producer Titmouse Set Super Turbo Story Time (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  9. ^ "T-Minus 8,600 Minutes: 'Putting the World on Notice'". 20 October 2021.
  10. ^ Hall, Kalea (May 19, 2022). "Ford CEO Jim Farley launches Spotify podcast on cars". The Detroit News.
  11. ^ Jim Farley (June 15, 2022). "Emelia Hartford: Living at a Higher RPM" (Podcast). Spotify. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  12. ^ Frew, Cameron (August 18, 2023). "'Gran Turismo cast: All actors & characters". dexerto.com. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
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