Autoblog

First Petty's Garage Challenger heading to Barrett-Jackson

Frank Filipponio — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:58:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Motorsports, SEMA Show, Coupe, Performance, Auctions, Dodge, Celebrities, Specialty

2009 Petty's Garage Dodge Challenger - Click above for high-res image gallery

And with this official decree, let it be known that one custom 2009 Dodge Challenger, painted in a very familiar and regal blue shall be offered for sale to the highest bidder in Arizona in the year of our lord, 2010. The vehicle in question shall serve as a rolling tribute to Richard the 43rd. Long live the King!

Richard Petty was one of the winningest drivers in stock car history. With a record seven Daytona 500 trophies, 127 poles, 200 overall wins (including a record 27 -- and ten-in-a-row -- races in 1967), and seven championships in his 34-year, 1,185-race career, it's no wonder he's called The King. His legendary Chryslers, Fords and Plymouths bearing the number 43 were mostly built at his race shop in Level Cross, NC. Now all the king's men are working to build on his legacy under the newly formed banner of Petty's Garage.

The company plans to work on "museum-quality" restorations of vintage race cars, custom cars and high performance street machines. To kick off the new business, Petty's Garage has built a 2009 Challenger that will be sold in a Petty Family Foundation charity auction at B-J in January.

Painted in the trademark Petty Blue, it features a 585-hp Hemi 426, Pedders suspension upgrades, Brembo Gran Turismo brakes, a new center exit Corsa exhaust system, plus a Petty's Garage body kit consisting of custom front fascia, rear bumper cover, custom rocker panels and a rear spoiler. The inside gets the royal touch as well, with Petty's Garage branded seats and door panels. We saw the car at SEMA and it's a looker. You can read more details in the press release we've pasted in after the jump and check out the gallery from SEMA as well.

Gallery: Petty's Garage Dodge Challenger

Gallery: SEMA 2009: Petty's Garage Dodge Challenger

Continue reading First Petty's Garage Challenger heading to Barrett-Jackson

First Petty's Garage Challenger heading to Barrett-Jackson originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Richard Petty Motorsports drops Dodge for Ford, joins Yates Racing

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 09:05:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Ford, Celebrities

Richard Petty with his Ford Torino Cobra at the 1969 Daytona 500 - Click above for high-res image

As expected, Richard Petty Motorsports will no longer race in NASCAR using Chrysler vehicles after the current season, instead turning to Ford and joining forces with Yates Racing. The first sign of discontentment between the Pentastar and Petty came shortly after Chrysler filed for bankruptcy and halted payment to Petty's racing organization.

For the 2010 season, the new group will field a team of drivers consisting of Kasey Kahne, A.J. Allmendinger, Paul Menard and Elliott Sadler. At this point, its unclear what will happen with Reed Sorenson, Bobby Labonte and Erik Darnell, the three drivers currently left out of the new team's plans.

You'd have to turn back the clock a full 40 years to see the last time Richard Petty raced with Ford. Petty won a total of nine races in 1969, his lone season driving a car from the Blue Oval, before eventually losing out on the title to David Pearson's Holman Moody-prepped Ford Torino.

[Source: Ford Racing]

Richard Petty Motorsports drops Dodge for Ford, joins Yates Racing originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 12 Sep 2009 09:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Respect Your Elders: Even Richard Petty stung by Chrysler's bankruptcy?

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:29:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Chrysler, Earnings/Financials, Celebrities

Richard Petty - quite possibly the best NASCAR racer of all time and the man in charge of Richard Petty Motorsports - says that Chrysler stopped paying his team after filing for bankruptcy last month. No surprise there. The lack of funds prompted RPM to lay off nine workers, although Petty is now saying there is hope that the automaker will soon work out some sort of deal to begin making payments once again now that it's clear of court proceedings.

It isn't clear at this moment if Petty's team, which is in the final year of its current contract with Chrysler, will soldier on using Dodge ~~Chargers~~ Challengers next year. Earlier this month, The King said his team would be willing to talk to any and all manufacturers regarding the 2010 NASCAR season, including Dodge. We'll surely know soon enough, but internet message boards are awash with rumors the team has been in talks with *gasp* Toyota.

[Source: ESPN via MLive.com | Image: Jason Smith/Getty]

Respect Your Elders: Even Richard Petty stung by Chrysler's bankruptcy? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Jul 2009 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Return of the King: 71-year-old Richard Petty to field a team in this year's Indy 500

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:28:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Celebrities

Click above for an image gallery of Richard Petty's Indy 500 entry

For the first time in history, an open-wheel racecar bearing Richard Petty's classic #43 on the side and powder blue and red livery will circle the oval at the 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 24th. The 71-year-old Petty won't be behind the wheel, instead acting as a team owner. Driving duties will be ably handled by John Andretti, nephew of Mario Andretti, who won the Indy 500 in 1969.

Over his 35-year career as a NASCAR driver, Richard Petty won the Daytona 500 a total of 7 times, a record that stands to this day. John Andretti has raced for Petty a few times in the past and won the race at Martinsville Speedway in 1999. We're not huge fans of oval racing in general, but the tie-in with Richard Petty Motorsports will surely help the Indy 500 grab plenty of attention from NASCAR's rabid (and huge) fan base. Check out the Petty livery for yourself in our gallery below.

Gallery: Richard Petty Motorsports Indy 500

[Source: FanHouse]

Return of the King: 71-year-old Richard Petty to field a team in this year's Indy 500 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Barrett-Jackson 2009: 1970 Plymouth Superbird Custom Tribute

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 21:36:00 EST

Filed under: Auctions

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Plymouth Superbird Tribute

Few muscle cars are as recognizable as the 1970 Plymouth Superbird, with its rear wing that stands proud over the car's rear haunches undoubtedly being the most striking visual modification, followed closely by the front snout that extends well past the front wheels for maximum aerodynamic efficiency. These cars were initially conceived to terrorize NASCAR race tracks in the late '60s and early '70s and were easily capable of cresting 200 miles per hour in race trim.

This is not an original Superbird, but it's been designed to replicate that car's iconic looks by a team consisting of the restoration specialists at YearOne and led by Bill Goldberg of Bullrun fame. Everything about this car is meant to recreate the original's NASCAR heritage, including the 800-horsepower race-spec 358 cubic-inch V8 engine. Unlike the real thing, though, this car was built to be totally street-legal. After all was said and done, the car earned $501,000 at the 2009 Barrett-Jackson auction, all of which will be donated to the Darrell Gwynn Foundation to benefit research of spinal cord injuries. In addition, another $175,000 was donated by other bidders to help the cause. Read the car's official auction description after the break.

Gallery: Barrett-Jackson 2009: 1970 Plymouth Superbird Custom Tribute

Continue reading Barrett-Jackson 2009: 1970 Plymouth Superbird Custom Tribute

Barrett-Jackson 2009: 1970 Plymouth Superbird Custom Tribute originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 17 Jan 2009 21:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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43rd 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 to be painted "Petty blue" and auctioned

Alex Nunez — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Auctions, Chrysler, Dodge

Click image to enlarge

While the rights to the first 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 brought $400K at Barrett-Jackson last weekend, we'd rather have the 43rd car built, which will go up on eBay's virtual auction block from February 12 to February 22. Chrysler is working the numerology angle, linking the 43rd Challenger to living legend Richard Petty and the #43 he made famous while driving Mopar stock cars to victory over his long racing career. Pre-qualified bidders will have the opportunity to take home the 43rd Challenger built, which will be the only one finished in B5 Blue in a nod to the Petty Blue (or Corporate Blue) finish that adorned The King's racers. Carbon fiber-look hood stripes, a chrome fuel filler lid and a numbered dash plaque finish this particular one-off appearance package, and the auction winner also gets a VIP Package to this May's Dodge Challenger 500 NASCAR race at Darlington. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the Petty family's Victory Junction Gang Camp, so it's for a good cause. Wanna bid? Go here to get pre-registered.

[Source: Chrysler]

Gallery: Dodge Challenger Concept

Continue reading 43rd 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 to be painted "Petty blue" and auctioned

43rd 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 to be painted "Petty blue" and auctioned originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2007 AB Gift Guide: Richard Petty Ride Along Experience

Chris Tutor — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:21:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc.

Ever wonder how it feels to do 165 in a NASCAR stock car? Ever wonder how some people can afford to pay $400 to drive as few as 8 laps at those driving experience sessions? For less than it takes to fill up most full-size SUVs, you can call shotgun with a professional driver for three laps at race-qualifying speeds. The Richard Petty Driving Experience offers Ride-Alongs at more than 20 tracks around the country.

Richard Petty Ride-along - $59

Next up: Cows: out. Carbon fiber: in!

Gallery: 2008 AB Gift Guide

2007 AB Gift Guide: Richard Petty Ride Along Experience originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Petty and Earnhardt get wax treatment

Dan Roth — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 09:54:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Etc.

Only in Vegas. Madame Tussaud's unveiled their latest ghastly likenesses; we're not sure if the fact that the subjects are still alive makes it more creepy. The work is uncanny in its accuracy and lifelike look, and if you're in Vegas, Tussaud's is a veritable family attraction. The reason for the paraffin-ization of the left-turning legends was the kickoff of this weekend's races at Las Vegas's own Motor Speedway. The flesh and blood Petty and Earnhardt were on hand for the debut of their inanimate doppelgangers at the Neon Garage, though we're not sure if they'll be paying any visits to the exhibit's permanent home at the Venetian. They could roam the exhibit halls and catch glimpses of such luminaries as John Holmes (we're not sure if it's all of "Wad," or a partial model) Siegfried and Roy (before or after the mauling, again, not sure), and of course Fat Elvis. Good times, good times. Now, where's that buffet...

[Source: TCC]

Petty and Earnhardt get wax treatment originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Mar 2007 09:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Riding with The King - Petty, '72 Charger headed to Goodwood

Alex Nunez — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 10:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Classics, Coupe, Etc., Daimler, Dodge

The Goodwood Festival of Speed always assembles a mind-numbingly impressive array of significant sports and racing cars, along with an equally gaudy roster of drivers. And sometimes, Goodwood is the place where those important cars are reunited with their equally important drivers. (Like in 2005, with Bobby Unser, Sr. and the '86 Audi Sport Quattro hill climb car in which he won Pikes Peak.)

2006 is no exception, and spectators are going to have the chance to see The King, Richard Petty himself, run a fully-restored 1972 STP Dodge Charger up the hill. In addition to taking part in the Hill Climb competition, Petty will be delighting fans with exhibition runs on all three days of the festival.

1972 saw Petty win his fourth NASCAR championship and marked the first year of STP's involvement with Petty, which spawned one of the most famous racing liveries ever. Next month, the familiar red, white, and blue #43 car will do what it does best: go fast with The King behind the wheel.

What a thrill.

(Press release after the jump)

[Source: DaimlerChrysler]

Continue reading Riding with The King - Petty, '72 Charger headed to Goodwood

Riding with The King - Petty, '72 Charger headed to Goodwood originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 17 Jun 2006 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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