We’d wager that most people secretly harbor a post-apocalyptic fantasy where they’ve managed to survive a horrific calamity, leaving them one of the lucky few left to rebuild the world in their own image.
Should car design Jeff Brock survive the end of the world, we’d be lucky indeed, as the remains of America’s roads would be taken over by some of the sleekest and fastest cars we’ve ever written about.
Dubbed “Bombshell Betty” due to its riveted steel body and bomber-style aesthetic, this attractive machine also happens to be one of the fastest cars on the planet, setting six land speed records since it first started racing in 2009.
Built by Brock, his wife, and a couple of college students, Bombshell Betty began life as an unsuspecting 1952 Buick Riviera that took on a look that would not have been out of place in the latest Mad Max flick or Fallout game.
To achieve this look, Brock took the front end of a 1968 Chevy Van that was narrowed to 11-inches, while the rear is from a 1973 Ford Thunderbird, with a 9-inch differential and a 2.73 positraction configuration.
The custom mooneye rims come from Rally America of California, and the 8-inch chopped top has decked door tops and a rear section, and the 1930s Chevy headlight buckets provide that sharpened appearance to the fore of the car.
Just as mad as the appearance of Betty is the straight-eight Buick engine under the hood, displacing 320 cubic inches and most of the space beneath the long, backswept hood. Sitting atop of said hood is a completely custom intake is compliments of Hart’s Collision Racing Shop paired with a Jegs Quick-Fuel 750 cm racing carburetor.
Betty also features a period-correct 0’s Borg Warner T-10 four-speed manual transmission. Paired with the straight-eight, this combo sent Betty to a best-of top speed of 165. 735 MPH at the 2013 Bonneville Speed Week. It was at that point that Brock said goodbye to Betty, turning over the keys to famed photographer and current owner, Peter Lik. Today it’s on sale once more, with a price tag of $195,000.
It’s a one-of-a-kind car that has fully embraced our impending dystopian future all the way to the gates of Valhalla.