Record Setting Bombshell 1952 Buick Super Riviera

Posted by pikesan on Aug 4, 2012 in Featured, Racing | 8 comments

Straight 8 Buick Bonneville Salt Flats Racer

There are some cars that are near-universally popular. Here’s one.

Jeff Brock, the owner, co-builder and driver of this wicked 1952 Buick Super Riviera showed up at the 2008 Bonneville Speed Week with his Buick and floored spectators and racers alike. Since then, the “Bombshell Buick” has seen some serious metal work to make and re-make it into the, “the sculptural form he favored for creating a fast, furious work of art.” Done.

To help you catch up on where the Buick started, after finding it in an abandoned lumber mill near Phoenix, here’s a few build pictures, then we’ll catch up with Brock’s plans for this year.

Here’s how she looked when purchased. Jeff says, “Our “first date” … bofore shot. Her ass was fat …I played hard to get.”

Here’s a great shot of the Buick nose before modification. Most of the GREAT shots featured here were taken by Gunther Maier. (If I’m using someone else’s shot, please tell me)

From here, we better fill you in on Brock’s plans for 2012 Bonneville Speed Week:

Yes, we’re running in the XO/GCC racing class. That’s a gas powered, competition coupe with the “XO”, a vintage engine category . We hold the current SCTA Bonneville record at 141.821 set at Bonneville Speed World in 2010.

For this year, here’s a brief list of the 2012 mods. Primarily added : Aero-dropped nose job using a sectioned, flipped 1959 Dodge truck bumper, built a full belly pan, full lexan front fender skirts and body side skirts. Then we had Roger Kraus racing (of California race tire fame), radically shave and balance her tires. I also drilled 3 lbs of mass weight out of my rear Rally America, custom made LSR wheels and turned 20 pounds (YES… 20) of cast iron and factory balance weights off of the rear 9″ 1969 T-Bird brake drums. We did some of these mods for Bonneville World Finals, last year, but got rained out.

We test ran her at the El Mirage season final in November. She ran real good. but it is only a 1.3 mile course. Our record is 141 (in 3 miles) at Bonneville and we ran 143.7 (in 1.3 miles) on our test runs at El Mirage. Do the math… we should kick it ! Wish us luck!

Here’s what “Rained out” looks like at Bonneville:
I’ve never been to Bonneville in October. Dig the snow in the background and the rust on the unfinished metal. Jeff’s hard core to pull the car out for these photo-ops!

Here’s a few more photos to help ease the “salt fever” until I can get my own shots of Brock and the Bombshell in about a week. Thanks to Jeff for letting me nab these photos.

Testing at El Mirage.

An older, but so cool photo of Jeff gettin ready on the salt

1952 Buick Bombshell. Sexy from any angle

Judging from the older style front end, an older photo of the Buick at speed.

Jeff’s Buick has inspired a few art pieces. If you’re smitten by the Jeff’s rolling artwork, check out the artwork & t-shirts found here on Jeff’s home page. This piece by Deb Howard-Rauls is done with graphite pencil/colored pencils and ink.

See ya on the salt for Speed Week 2012!

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