The name was applied on the car's first outing by the track announcer, Ed Piasczik (Paskey), who laughingly said, "Okay folks, here it comes: The Green Monster", and it stuck to all Arfons' creations.

Green Monster 2 was painted by Arfons' mother to resemble the World War II Curtiss P-40 Flying Tigers fighter airplane, with an open mouth showing large teeth.

The most famous Green Monster was powered by a surplus F-104 Starfighter General Electric J79 jet engine, producing 17,500 lbf (78 kN) static thrust with four-stage afterburner, which Arfons purchased from a scrap dealer for $600 and rebuilt himself, over the objections of General Electric and the government, and despite all manuals for the engine being classified top secret.

It competed against Wingfoot Express (built by his brother Walt, who could not pilot the car himself, having suffered a stroke) and Craig Breedlove's Spirit of America – Sonic 1, which eventually set the record at 600.601 miles per hour (966.574 km/h).

On run number seven at 8:03 a.m. on November 17, Arfons crashed his vehicle travelling 610 miles per hour (980 km/h) when a wheel bearing seized.

He subsequently built another Green Monster land speed record car but sold it to California rancher Slick Gardner without driving it.