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1952 Buick “Bombshell Betty” Super Riviera Auction Ends With Reserve Not Met: eBay Find

Back in 2013, this 1952 Buick Super Riviera, nicknamed “Bombshell Betty”, earned six land speed records in the XO/GCC class at the Bonneville Salt Flats, reaching a top speed of 165.735 miles per hour.

The heavily-modified Super Riviera is easily recognized by its massive, custom intake manifold from Hart’s Collision-Racing Shop, which resembles a bomb – hence its name. The intake feeds a 320-cubic inch, straight-eight engine out of a 1950 Roadmaster, which has been fitted with a solid lifter camshaft and aftermarket pistons. The 340-horsepower engine is backed by a Borg-Warner Super T-10 four-speed manual transmission, and power is distributed to the wheels via a nine-inch Ford rear end plucked from a 1973 Thunderbird with Traction-Lok and 2.73:1 gearing.

Last year at Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas 2016, Bombshell Betty sold for $36,300. More recently, in January of this year, Betty found herself listed for sale again on eBay by MotoeXotica Classic Cars. Yet despite the car’s celebrity and brilliant uniqueness, it failed to sell, topping out at $45,100 – not enough to meet the reserve price.

We visited the dealer’s website to take a peek at its inventory, just to make sure that MotoeXotica held onto Bombshell Betty rather than forgoing the reserve and letting her go for $45k. She is indeed still for sale, carrying a big price tag of $96,900.

If you ask us, that price tag seems a bit too hopeful for the one-off, record-holding Super Riviera. That’s not to say that Bombshell Betty won’t be worth more than that one day; we just don’t think she’s quite there yet.

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Comments

  1. Unique record car that explored a class, successfully, that doesn’t get any attention by today’s record challengers.

    Reply
  2. Looks like a vehicle from Mad Max movie (no offense, just kidding) 🙂

    Reply

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