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1941 Willys Gasser

Pickup

This historic Willys race car began life as a farm truck in Southern California in 1941. In 1964 Nick Mura was searching for a vehicle to build as an AA/GS Supercharged race car, and he heard this vehicle was for sale. For the sum of $25, it was about to become the 'World's Wildest Willys.'

It was given a new candy paint job, and in 1965 at the Grand National Roadster Show, it was crowned 'America's Most Beautiful Competition Vehicle.'

Discovered in a backyard, it passed through several more owners until it was purchased by the current owner in 2011.

This Willys was given a ground-up restoration to bring it back to its original glory. It now proudly displays its 496 Wedge Mopar sporting an 8-71 Supercharger producing over 1360 horsepower. Fifty years later, this AA/Gasser is still stunning as the 'World's Wildest Willys.'

Coupe

This 1941 Willys Coupe is on display at the Corvette Museum in Kentucky. It is a steel car with a blown 350 Chevy engine mated to a Richmond 5-speed transmission with a 410 Posi-Traction rear end.

The Willys Americar was a line of automobiles produced by Willys-Overland Motors from 1937 to 1942, either as a sedan, coupe, station wagon, or pickup truck. Only the 1941-1942 models were called 'Americar' following the patriotic trend of the time.

In 1941, 22,000 units were sold and the price was about $630. As war broke out, civilian production was abandoned by all United States motor companies in order to assist the military, however, Willys was one of the companies awarded a contract to produce the highly successful Jeep.

This car was featured in the March 1998 issue of Popular Hot Rodding Magazine. It spent over 15 years of its life as a drag car in Canada.

Pickup

Mike Bamber's 'Silver Dollar' 1941 Willys Pickup was the terror of Escondido, California in the early 1960s. He traded an International Pickup for this legendary AA/GS Willys pickup. It became a fabled Gasser and was campaigned from 1957 until the end of 1965.

In the interim, the Silver Dollar Willy's was a top contender in the AA/GS wars that were waged throughout Southern California. The highlight of the 1964 season was topping legends Stone, Woods & Cook who was sporting a Hemi engine. The Silver Dollar used a small block Chevy engine measuring just 340 cubic inches. It was an upset heard throughout the Gasser world.

Forty years later, the Silver Dollar Willys was brought back to life by Chris Unger to all its original glory. Shortly after, the Silver Dollar was purchased by the current owner who continues to keep the legend alive.