Gassers played a huge role in pushing drag racing forward during the early days of the sport. These cars showed off all the cutting-edge technology that racers had developed in the pursuit of speed. Gassers can still be found at the track, and Nick Codori just had to build his own 1941 Willys coupe to be a part of the fun.

The Willys found its way into Codori’s life back in 2013 after he purchased it off RacingJunk. The car was a total basket case, but Codori saw some potential and had to have it. Three years later, the Willys was complete and roaming the streets with occasional trips to the drag strip.

Just like so many other builds, the Willys got progressively faster, and was soon more of a race car than a street car. Unfortunately, the Willys was involved in an on-track incident, and it needed to be rebuilt. So, Codori and his family got to work in their two-car garage and brought the car back to life. That’s right, this is a home-built hot rod that Codori’s entire family played a role in its completion.

The latest version of Codori’s Willys is sporting a 400 cubic-inch small block Chevy that’s topped off with a 6-71 blower. Behind the engine, you’ll find a powerglide transmission and 9-inch Ford rearend. The Willys has run a best of 9.28 in the quarter-mile, and 5.76 in the eighth-mile, very solid numbers for such a wild car to drive.

“I always wanted to build and race a gasser. These cars take you back to a time when things were simpler, racing was less complicated and more fun. It’s super cool to see people smile when they see the car. I love doing the dry hops and giant burnouts that drive the crowds wild,” Codori says.

You really can’t argue with Codori’s sentiment on what makes gassers so much fun. They do bring back all the nostalgia of what makes drag racing great, and the people who race these iconic cars understand what that means. Codori’s Willys is the perfect representation of what a gasser build should be.