As we start preparing for 2017 and the amazing car show season our western states have, we were reminded of last year’s Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS) in Pomona. The GNRS is typically the first noteworthy car show of the season, which leads the way for Detroit Autorama and the rest to follow in the subsequent months.

Our journey at last year’s GNRS began in the NHRA Motorsports museum where we instantly migrated to the Bonneville cars. The one that really caught our eye was Fred Carrillo’s modified Ford roadster. Last week we were stunned to hear that the legendary racecar was for sale with a pricetag of $150,000.

We found the listing on Craigslist, and it appears to be legitimate. The current car owner’s son Don Goughnour, is selling the car for his father. We resisted the urge to call Mr. Goughnour and try to work out a deal based on a magazine writer’s salary.

Despite our sadness at hearing that the car may be sold and moved away from the NHRA museum, we thought about the car and what it meant to the racing world.

Carrillo, a Californian, built the car with his brother-in-law Robert Betz, after he got out of the Air Force in 1950. Using the tubing from a Catalina “Flying Boat” wing, the pair handcrafted a tubular car frame with three-inch round tubing for the crossmembers.

Everything was kept under the cowl, including the driver’s roll bar protection, for aerodynamics. In 1951, this homemade car became the fastest roadster on the salt when Carrillo clocked an amazing 178.162 with the 296 cubic-inch Mercury flathead powered drivetrain.

Looking at this car today, we wonder how many people would actually buckle themselves into this beast for a run over 150 mph?