Estate sales can be great places to find classic cars. Most of the cars we see that have come out of estate sales are low mileage cars with minimal wear and only in need of a good detailing. Usually these cars can best be described as granny cars, but every once in a while we spot estate finds that are just plain odd and unusual. Well this one fits both categories and then some. How can you get any odder than an AMC Gremlin? Oh I know, turn it into a wheelie popping dragster! If you’ve been wanting to fulfill all of your ’70s drag racing fantasies, you can find this 1971 Gremlin here on eBay, but you had better act fast!

It wasn’t uncommon in the mid to late ’70s to see wildly upgraded Gremlins and Beetles tearing up drag strips across America. There is just something funny, yet awe inspiring about seeing one of these goofy looking cars doing a wheel stand or beating a big muscle car off the line. Making one of these actually safe though was a tough task, especially with their short wheel base and low weight, so there aren’t many left that haven’t been careened into a wall. This one has some bumps and bruises, but it solid and in decent shape.

As you can see, someone has shoe horned a Chevy small block into this tiny engine bay. They aren’t sure of the specific size, but state that it’s a V6. It certainly looks like a V8 to me and the Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake would suggest it’s a V8. Of course, I could be wrong, so please correct me if I am. For this to be a real mean dragster, it has to have a V8, especially if it’s ever going to put the wheelie bars to good use! The seller is also unsure about the mechanical condition of the motor, but as long as it isn’t seized, it shouldn’t be much of an issue to install a carburetor and get it running!

Getting this Gremlin back to the track is going to be a big undertaking, but well worth the work! I can only imagine the mixture of joy and fear that launching this tiny car will bring. And of course, there is the joy that will come from beating all those conventional muscle cars in the quarter mile. If it were mine, I would struggle with one decision though. Would I leave the original paint as is or have it repainted in something a bit flashier and how do I put this, more ’70s! So if this Gremlin was yours, what would you do with is?