Hemmings e Weekly (4/13/06)

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FYI, lots of good stuff this week:

Classic Cars
GM dealer signs are back!

Get your very own vintage neon dealer sign, commemorating your favorite of the General's brands, today.
photo courtesy GM
Vintage neon dealer signs are big collectibles; unfortunately, they cost big bucks, too. But now, thanks to the efforts of the GM Heritage Center, these highly sought-after signs are being reproduced, albeit in very limited numbers.
Unlike the original signs, these vintage neon dealer signs have been scaled down to better fit the walls of collectors’ dens, living rooms and garages; they measure about 60 inches wide and 21 inches tall, and weigh about 50 pounds. Each is individually fabricated out of high-strength aluminum, assembled with the correct fasteners and color schemes just like the original signs, but using a two-part urethane enamel to replicate the original’s porcelain-like finish.
Available for Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Pontiac and GMC trucks, each sign comes with a special brass I.D. plate that’s engraved with a serial number.
The signs are being produced by the Industrial Neon Sign Corporation of Houston, Texas, which has been in the neon sign business since 1934, so you know they are built extremely well.
Each sign costs $3,995 and they are limited in production to just 100 units; however, the Chevrolet sign, of which 200 will be produced, will retail for $2,995. All proceeds benefit the GM Heritage Center in Michigan. For more details, contact Mail Services Group, 101 H Street, Suite N, Petaluma, California 94952; 800-558-2550; or visit GM’s Web site: www.gmphotostore.com
- By Richard Lentinello

Muscle cars
Charlotte revs up for NASCAR Hall of Fame

Officials recently released this artist's rendering of the NASCAR Hall of Fame that will be built in Charlotte, North Carolina
photo courtesy NASCAR
Look for tributes to the men who campaigned Hemi-powered wing cars, Chevrolet’s Mystery Motor and more at a new NASCAR Hall of Fame that is being built in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Charlotte was selected over other frontrunners, including Atlanta and Daytona, for the new museum, and the city put a $154-million financial package on the table. The majority of funding for the project won’t be coming from the city, but rather from visitors to Charlotte, who will be forced to pay a new 2 percent hotel/motel tax, authorities said.
Renowned architect IM Pei and his firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners has been tapped to design the building. Pei is known for his work worldwide including the Louvre in Paris, the Jacob Javits Center in New York and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
Atlanta lost in its bid to land the museum because of Charlotte’s connection to the sport, and Daytona officials were similarly disappointed even though the sport’s premier event, the Daytona 500, is held there each year.
- By George Mattar

Vintage Racing
Lost GT-40 will race again

The GT-40 that Dan Gurney put on the pole at Le Mans in ’66 was uncovered in Japan, complete with motor and transmission, and is now awaiting restoration in Las Vegas.
photo courtesy Finish Line Motorsports
The GT-40 that Dan Gurney put on the pole at the 1966 24 hours of LeMans was located in Japan and is currently awaiting resoration at Finish Line Motorsports in Las Vegas, Nevada. Known as Ford GT-40 Chassis #P1047, the car has been driven not only by Gurney but by A.J. Foyt, Jerry Grant, Roger McClusky and Frank Gardner.
Following a crash in the 1967 24 hours of LeMans, the car was placed in storage and eventually restored by Holman-Moody in the early 1970s. The car was purchased by an unknown buyer from Japan and not seen again for another thirty-plus years.
Finish Line Motorsports estimates that it will take the better part of two years to complete the restoration of GT-40 #P1047 and that the car will race again in select vintage events both in the U.S. and abroad. Be sure to check out this barn find of all barn finds at www.finishlinecobraslv.com.
- By Mike McNessor