It’s always fun to see top notch street rods come through our showroom here at RK Motors Charlotte. Unlike beefy muscle cars or slick sports cars, which are designed with varying degrees of built in homogeny that appeals to a wide variety of buyers, street rods are built around the two main cornerstones of every car enthusiast’s psyche: GOING FAST and LOOKING GOOD. Not surprisingly, cars like this sinister 1941 Willys coupe are some of our most popular offerings; and in the last six months, we’ve sold FOUR high dollar Willys to four very satisfied owners! So, if you’re the kind of buyer who is ready to go big and drop jaws, this sinister red coupe is just the car you’ve been looking for. But don’t hesitate to pull the trigger, because if our sold inventory is any indication, history does repeat itself!

For over 25 years, Outlaw Performance in Avonmore, Pennsylvania has been a leading supplier of custom fiberglass bodies, and this spectacular ’41 Willys coupe is a testament to just how well they’ve honed their craft. Purchased as one of their full body and chassis packages, it benefits from a hand-laminated, one piece construction technique which combines an embedded Poplar floorpan with a sturdy, unitized steel structure. Once that structure was in place, and the surrounding resin was completely dry, the body was carefully shipped to a small shop by the name of Rod Crafters in Welcome, North Carolina to receive a complete top to bottom shakedown. The build began with a highly detailed prep process that massaged all the cars fiberglass into a slick canvas which perfectly complements its exceptional build quality. Then a thick coat of PPG Fire Engine Red urethane was professionally applied under a sinister set of silver ghost flames. And finally, every panel was sealed in a glossy clearcoat shell that has been wet sanded and buffed to a fantastic shine. Today, with super smooth surfaces, exceptionally narrow gaps and solid sealing moving parts, this evil looking Willys coupe is a badass combination of hair raising performance and sizzling good looks!

It’s hard to find any well-done ’41 Willys coupe that doesn’t turn heads and inspire stares. But this car, with its excellent stance, hot rod paint job and simple, but professionally executed details, blows the conservative look of most ‘once in a lifetime builds’ right out of the water! Up front, a fresh chrome grille is centered between original style chrome trimmed halogen headlights. At the top of the car, a contoured hood, which fits around the big engine’s shotgun hood scoop like a well-tailored glove, leads the eye to a full array of smoked glass that is sealed in fresh black weatherstripping. At the sides of the car, polished side-exit exhaust pipes look almost as good as they sound. And out back, a flush mounted LED tail light and a manually retractable license plate add a healthy dose of modern function to some of the best automotive form ever created. There’s certainly no mistaking a Willys. And this coupe, with its great combination of superb craftsmanship and hot rod attitude, is the very definition of a street rod dream machine.

Though it manages to present a relatively simple and attractive appearance on the outside, everything about this super cool Willys is big; big time, big budget, big labor, and big appeal! Nowhere is that theme more evident than under the fiberglass hood where you’ll find a completely detailed 502 cubic inch Jack Sprague sourced V8 that makes roughly 800 horsepower. At the top of that big engine, a pair of chrome Holley 4-barrel carburetors mix air from a polished shotgun intake with a steady stream of 100 octane racing fuel which travels through pristine stainless fuel lines that are equipped with a chrome Holley fuel pressure gauge. At the base of those carburetors, a chrome Weiand 8-71 blower sits between polished aluminum heads that are fitted with high quality chrome valve covers, and an MSD billet distributor that’s fitted with Taylor premium plug wires. Cooling is provided by a heavy duty radiator which is sandwiched between a chrome cowl cover, chrome water tubes, dual nine inch pusher fans and a large diameter puller fan. Exhaust is handled by a pair of ceramic coated long tube headers which look great next to the big silver block. And charging is provided by a chrome alternator that, along with a chrome AC compressor and a polished water pump, spins between a nice set of chrome pulleys and sturdy chrome brackets. Aesthetically, this Willys tight engine bay is a virtually flawless piece of street rod art that literally contains no unfinished or un-plated pieces from its polished hood and chrome Tilton Engineering master cylinder to its chrome oil pan and braided hoses. And it displays a first-rate level of workmanship which requires multiple looks in order to really appreciate the car’s high level of detail.

Behind that killer big block engine, a new Tilton Engineering hydraulic clutch engages a new Richmond 5-speed transmission which, like the motor itself, was sourced from Jack Sprague. Power from that proven transmission flows to a Ford nine inch rear end which spins tall 3.72 gears inside of a high performance Richard Childress Racing center section. That first class drivetrain is held off the ground by a boxed Outlaw chassis which, along with the suspension, has been bathed in a pleasant shade of gray paint that provides a perfect contrast to the car’s Fire Engine Red floors. And speaking of suspension, the front of the car utilizes a familiar Mustang II set up that’s equipped with traditional manual steering and modern coil over shocks to provide a pleasant ride with a vintage feel. And the back of the car combines a traditional four link system with two more modern coil over shocks to provide drag strip worthy launches. Serious stops to counter the car’s serious power are provided by a four wheel disc brake system which is equipped with a brake proportioning valve, drilled and slotted front rotors and braided brake lines. Exhaust duties are handled by neatly packaged stainless side pipes which growl through high quality Dynatech high flow race mufflers. And keeping all this muscle rolling down the road is a slick set of 15 inch polished aluminum Billet Specialties wheels which wear 26×7.50 Hoosier Pro Street radials up front and 33×21.50 Hoosier Pro Street radials in the rear. With a beefy drivetrain that’s been reliably built to be both tough and fun to drive, this ’41 Willys is the real deal. And with its clean floors and super impressive hardware, it will fare well at any show you chose to attend!

Naturally, no expense was spared on bringing this cars cozy cabin up to par with the rest of the build. The custom tan leather interior looks fantastic; and its fully power adjustable Corvette seats are comfortable, stylish and safe thanks to a sturdy pair of Simpson race harnesses. At the front of the car, a Fire Engine Red dash centers an MP3 compatible, and satellite capable, Pioneer CD player between slick, black-faced Classic Instruments gauges and hidden billet knobs that operate the cars accessories. Below that dash a Fire Engine Red console, which flows from the front of the cockpit to the front of the seats, props a billet control panel for the cars Vintage Air climate system and chrome switches for the cars power windows in front of a brake bias controller and a standard chrome shifter that is complete with a wicked skull shift knob. Below that console like-new tan carpet, which is protected by thick, color keyed floor mats, rides under a chrome emergency brake handle and chrome Tilton Engineering foot pedals. At the sides of that console, custom leather door panels hang stylish chrome door handles above sculpting which loosely mirrors the cars sinuous profile. And above that console, a custom tan headliner stretches from a leather wrapped windshield frame and a billet rearview mirror to custom rear panels which hang over a small, leather lined storage area. In front of the driver, a polished tilt steering column spins a leather wrapped, polished aluminum steering wheel. At the sides of the driver, a six point, body matched and leather wrapped roll cage ensures maximum safety should the car ever feel the need to become acrobatic. And behind the driver, a professionally finished trunk hangs a polished decklid over a leather wrapped fuel tank and a small carpeted cargo area.

Included with the sale of this awesome Willys street rod is a small binder of build receipts.

Few cars can truly back up their looks with astounding performance, but this Willys definitely has what it takes. Now is your chance to benefit from someone else’s hard work and put a killer street rod in your garage for a fraction of its construction cost. No need to wait two years for it to be finished, this Willys is a powerful and fun bruiser that’s ready to rock and roll the second it rolls out of our showroom. If you’re a fan horsepower, Willys or just going fast and looking good, we have the car for you!