This 1952 Buick raw steel-finished beauty has a lot of titles, from its formal model name -- the Super Riviera -- to six-time land-speed world record holder. You can just call her "Bombshell Betty."
Up for sale at duPont Registry is the highly modified but nonetheless stunning 1952 Buick Super Riviera you see above. And let me let most of you down right out of the shoot: You probably can't afford it. Bombshell Beauty's owner is asking $195,000 -- or best offer.
Though it might look like a prop car from a space-age Mad Max movie that never was, it's actually a true speed demon. That's because underneath its well-hammered hood lies a 320 cubic-inch (5.2-liter) straight eight-cylinder engine.
If a straight-eight engine sounds unfamiliar, there's good reason. That's because straight-eights fell out of favor in the middle of the 20th century, replaced by their more compact cousin, the V8 engine.
Nevertheless, Miss Bombshell's straight-eight pushed her to a 165.735-mile-per-hour top speed on the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2013. This speed garnered her -- and her driver -- the win that year.
Now, as fun as it might seem to own a mean machine like Miss Bombshell, I must warn you she doesn't look street legal. What's more, she's been so modified and customized, it's not the kind of car you can leave with your friendly neighborhood mechanic.
So, unless you are a well-heeled engineering genius with a need for speed planning to spend lots of time getting sunburned on the Salt Flats, I suggest you leave this one be. Sure is fun to think about, though.
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Topics Cars
