It’s a given that hot rods aren’t everybody’s cup of tea. However, if you’re of the mindset that nothing beats an old sleeper that weighs next to nothing and packs a wallop in terms of power, then feast your eyes on this heavily customized 1941 Willys Americar Pro Street.
Back in the early 40s, Americar was what Willys-Overland decided to call its 441 and 442 models in a bid to sound patriotic. In fact, we have no doubt that pre-getting-frozen-in-ice Captain America would have driven an Americar given a choice. It just sounds so star-spangled perfect.
Fast-forward to 2021, and it’s unlikely you’d want to be seen in something called “Americar”, unless, of course, it happens to be a bona fide hot rod just as bonkers as this one, currently getting auctioned off through Hemmings.
What makes it tick is a supercharged 472-cu in (7.7-liter) Oldsmobile V8, with a dyno rating of 650 rear wheel horsepower. That amounts to roughly 800 hp at the crank, and who knows how much torque. Engine mods include Edelbrock aluminum cylinder heads, forged crank, Speed Pro pistons and rods, MSD ignition, and more. The most important bit is arguably the Littlefield 6-71 supercharger, working alongside a pair of 750 cfm Demon carburetors and a polished BDS scoop.
The seller claims no issues for neither the engine nor the gearbox, which is an Art Carr 200-4R four-speed overdrive automatic with a 2,500-rpm stall speed converter. Moving on to the chassis, it features, among other things, adjustable coilover shocks front and rear, removable wheelie bars, and disc brakes on all four corners.
As for the visuals, the custom fiberglass body was painted Brilliant Black over Torch Red, with a gold stripe in-between. Meanwhile, special touches include the shaved trunk lid, shaved door handles, and the twin aero mirrors.
The red and black theme is carried over inside, where you’ll find a pair of Porsche seats, full NHRA-spec roll cage, competition “lap belts”, custom storage pouches for the doors, a red leather billet steering wheel, and a Lokar shifter.
Now, while we don’t doubt that this Americar hot rod means serious business in a straight line, it’s still not as insane as that 1,000 hp one we showed you back in February.