Bucket List Dream:

Racing is the fastest way to turn money into noise is an old saying, which is why having tons of fun on a budget is the sensible thing to strive for.

What started out as a 1984 Pontiac Fiero was modified two decades ago by the late Larry Monreal of "Larry's Old Volks Home" fame. One of the true LSR pioneers, Larry, a fireman and proprietor of a VW junkyard in San Bernardino, Calif., had raced at Bonneville and El Mirage since the late 1950s and set dozens of speed records with his signal green VW Karmann Ghia, dubbed "The Worlds' Fastest Volkswagen."

Back in 1998, fitted with a tiny 1.5-liter engine, Larry's Fiero set the Bonneville Land Speed Record in his class @ 148mph and was prominently featured on the cover of the "Fiero Owner" magazine as the "World's Fastest Fiero." After Larry's passing, the racer -- by then featuring the yellow livery -- went to Dick Martin, another well-known SoCal hotrodder, who spent another decade having fun, now in the 3-liter F/GT class, campaigning it as the "Salty Dick's" entry.

The car was subsequently acquired by another fun-loving Southern California LSR team, the KRAUT BROS., with the expressed goal of putting their screw chief, "World Famous" Helmut Haupt, in the driver's seat to -- hopefully -- gain his S.C.T.A. competition license.

All those colorful ovals on the hood are Bonneville Speed Week participant decals. The fiery Fiero is not a salt novice by any means!
Note orange inspection decal on windshield from the November 2018 El Mirage dry lakes meet.
Race numbers and lettering were all hand-painted by Emilio Anzalone, the infamous "Westside pimp stripper." Note innovative exhaust cap.

Since the racer had just received a brand new Poncho "Super Duty" bullet, courtesy of Bill Stroppe, and a completely new, rule-book compliant roll cage, only a couple of months of work were needed to make sure it would pass the very stringent Southern California Timing Association inspection. Work performed included designing a fresh air box, installing new batteries, a vacuum pump, repair all gauges, fit a brand new set of 5-point DJ's safety belts, update the fire suppression system and have the the dual fire bottles re-certified. A full set of MOON discs was purchased and installed.

In 2018, a new chassis sticker and log book were issued. This current log book, along with the prior one, a bunch of past licenses, tech sheets, magazine articles and assorted ephemera are included with the sale, establishing the car's provenance.

At the last S.C.T.A. dry lakes meet of the season, in November 2018, the car was presented to the prying eyes of the chief car inspector, and passed the scrutineering with flying colors. It is now fully legal to compete in all 2019 S.C.T.A./BNI El Mirage and Bonneville land speed racing events and also competition ready for the various 1-to-2-mile pavement LSR events (for example, Texas Mile or ECTA) around the country.

So, you say you're 6'2" and weigh 300lbs? No problem! While the interior may seem cozy, even a heavier, large driver will be able to fit and get in and out of the car with ease.

Racing seat is actually very comfy. Helmut expertly upholstered it with a full hide of exotic reptile skin.

Steering wheel is removable for ease of entry/exit.

All controls and gauges are functional, neatly installed and clearly marked.

Fire system and battery boxes occupy the passenger area. Everything looks neat and clean.

Wiring harness and fuse boxes are professionally installed, with reliabilty in mind.

The KRAUT BROS. are members of the S.C.T.A.-affiliated Gear Grinders racing club. One needs to be a member in good standing to be able to compete for championship points on the Dry Lake, otherwise, you may participate as a guest.

According to Salty Dick, he spent $10,000 on this fresh Iron Duke mill. The engine features the rare Pontiac Performance Divison maximum effort high port alloy cylinder head, very high compression and a set of two dual-throat Weber 48IDA side draft carburettors. All this fury is funnelled through a 5-speed manual trans.

Output on the dyno exceeded 300 lively ponies, enough to turn the little Fiero into a serious contender for dry lakes and salt flats glory.

Yep, she's running strong -- really comes alive above 4,000rpm!

Undercarriage features a smooth belly pan to aid air flow. Behind the pan, lead ingots -- they are included, along with a host of assorted spares -- can safely be mounted to aid traction and stability. Speeding along the slippery salt flats, weight is your friend!