1952 Buick Riviera "Bombshell
Betty"
This 1952 Buick Riviera, nicknamed
"Bombshell Betty", is a six time land speed world record holder that
costs as much right now as a 2016 Porsche 911 Turbo S.
It's not everyday you get to
own such a unique automobile, and this 1952 Buick is
the type of car that can be worth a whole lot to certain collectors - which
should head on over to Dupont Registry and check out the listing, if they're
interested.
The reason why it's hard to call
Bombshell Betty a Buick anymore is because there are many other parts from
several other cars present underneath. For example, it's got the race harmonic
balancer from an Oldsmobile, the dynamic front end from a 1968 Chevy Van while
the rear is from a 1973 Ford Thunderbird. Under the hood, you're looking at a
340 HP 5.2-liter unit sourced from a 1950 Buick Roadmaster.
Overall, the car has been "totally Frankensteined to resemble something out
of a Mad Max film". Betty also comes with an early 60's Borg Warner T-10
manual four-speed transmission. Its clutch and brake hydraulics come courtesy
of Wilwood, while the Competition/Plus shifter is made by Hurst.
Also, if you're wondering how the car
got its classic comic book Gotham City-style look, it's because Jeff Brock (the
engineer behind this project) took the roof off and lowered it by 8".
Bombshell Betty won its first
competition in 2009 at the Bonneville Nationals Speed Week by nailing an
impressive 210.5 km/h run in the special XO/GCC class (vintage
engines). In its last run at Bonneville in 2013, Betty topped out at no fewer
than 266.7 km/h.
