onty Berney was there back in the early ‘90s when the “fastest street car” scene was really gathering steam at places like Memphis, St. Louis, Chicago, and Oklahoma City, where his all steel, street legal, licensed, insured and nitrous-assisted “Big Bertha” 1955 Chevy was one of the most popular cars going and always posed a threat to win. “It was the fastest thing around until they let the Pro Mod/Pro Street cars in,” the Danville, CA-based land developer and custom home builder recalls.

With business and family demands growing, Berney sold Big Bertha in 1994. He says it’s now owned by collector Keith Roberts in Florida, who also owns Tony Christian’s 1957 Chevy Pro Streeter, Scott Long’s ’55, and Marc Dantoni’s short-lived ’57 effort from the same era. “So it’s in good hands now.” A year later Berney also sold the ‘55 Chevy Pro Mod built by Jerry Bickel for him in 1993 and completely stepped away from drag racing for more than eight years.

“Then I kind of got a bit of an itch under my saddle and decided I wanted to do another one,” he says. “I’m not getting any younger, so I thought I’d better do it now.”