This is a “very neat car” with great history. It is an authentic, untouched “time capsule” from the “Gasser Wars” of the 1960s. To illustrate the interest in this car, to this day, it was the cover car and had a feature article in Hot Rod Deluxe Magazine in January 2012.

In period, the Willys primarily raced at Fremont (California) Raceway, which later became Baylands. It raced against all the legends of the era that included Stone, Woods, Cook, Mazmanian, K.S. Pittman and more. It is a well-known car that was “lost” for decades. It was retired after its final race in 1969 and stored in Pat Stewart's garage for about 40 years. It again came to light when he passed away.

Nobody really knew what happened to this “Gasser”. It made a one-time reappearance after being invited for Fremont's final race in 1987; it then promptly disappeared again. The car is in “as raced” condition from its final event in 1969. The car has its original 1941 Willys chassis and is registered as a 1941 Willys. It has its original (although recently freshened) 392-cid Hemi V-8 engine and sporting its original 6-71 GMC blower and Hilborn four-port injection system. The engine is bored .040 over, four-bolt mains, counterbalanced crank, Mickey Thompson aluminum rods, Mickey Thompson aluminum pistons, roller cam, gear drive, Mondello heads, and a Joe Hunt magneto. It is unbelievable. The engine is mated to a Chrysler TorqueFlite automatic transmission. The Willys has a 1957 Oldsmobile rearend with 5.10:1 gears and a spool.

The Willys is fitted with finned aluminum Buick brake drums. The wheels are authentic Halibrand magnesium wheels with the same slick tires from 1969. The body is steel. Cal Automotive supplied the fiberglass doors, front fenders, hood and decklid back in the early 1960s.

It still has its original tow bar, light hook-up and black California license plate. It was registered for the street, so Stewart could flat-tow the car to the drag races. Additional equipment includes a Moon gas tank, original parachute and original grille.

The interior is so “cool,” it is nearly beyond belief. It was done by Drake's Upholstery in the early 1960s (they were one of his sponsors and quite famous in their own right). It still has the Drake's logo stitched into the seats. It has an untouched, original Willys dash with the exception of the original Stewart Warner tach, oil pressure, and boost gauges. The car also has its original Willys steering column and steering wheel.

Also included in the sale is Pat Stewart's original helmet, the one he wore when he raced the car. The car is shown in the Jackson Brothers DVD collection “The Gasser Files 1 & 2.” It is really neat to watch and you can see this exciting machine in action. One would have an extremely difficult time finding another car like this, or one with a history like this. It still retains its original paint from back in the day. The patina is unbelievable and desirably should remain in this authentic state. It is deserving of continued preservation and be known as a pathway to the memory of the “good old days.”