Junior Johnson/Bill Elliott Ford Thunderbird NASCAR 358 V8 790 HP Jerico 4 Speed

SUMMARY

* Authentic Junior Johnson & Associates NASCAR Stock Car
* Professional restoration completed in 2002
* Era-correct 358 cubic inch V8 / Built by Wegner Automotive / 790 horsepower
* Jerico 4-speed manual transmission
* Ford 9-inch rear axle / 3.70 gears
* Power steering
* 4-wheel disc brakes
* 15-inch Circle Racing Wheels
* Custom side-exit exhaust
* Sale includes: Literature from the car's restoration / Spare parts / A themed car cover

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The 1992 Winston Cup season is considered one of the most memorable years of NASCAR's Modern Era. 7-time division champ Richard Petty, known simply as The King, announced retirement and executed an elaborate Fan Appreciation Tour. The multi-year domination of Richard Childress Racing's brash Dale Earnhardt had come to an abrupt halt. Golden Era driver Jeff Gordon made his first start. Perennial fan favorite Bill Elliot, backed by racing legend Junior Johnson, executed a flawlessly consistent challenge to cup champion Alan Kulwicki. And Kulwicki, an engineer by trade, became the final owner-driver to win a series championship.

Elliot's impressive consistency, culminating in 3 poles, 5 victories and losing the championship by a mere 10 points, would not have been possible without excellent cars like this race-ready Thunderbird. Officially known as Laughlin Racing chassis #176, and sold to Junior Johnson & Associates in early 1992, this Ford carried Elliot to a 5th place finish at Sears Point and 14th at Watkins Glen. Presently, thanks to $67K worth of restoration, the car is 100% period-correct and ready to carry its proud new owner in to vintage competition or show.

HISTORY/APPEARANCE

Laughlin Racing chassis #176, assembled in August of 1991, is a Ford Thunderbird road course car that, according to the current owner's research, has been piloted by multiple well-known drivers. As previously mentioned, it was part of Bill Elliot's notable 1992 season. In 1993, it carried Elliot to 17th at Sears Point and 4th at Watkins Glen. In 1994, the car, fielded by Junior Johnson under McDonalds livery, was raced by Mr. Excitement Jimmy Spencer and skilled SCCA star Tommy Kendall. In 1996, after Junior Johnson & Associates disbanded, David Blair Motorsports – a Robert Yates Racing farm team, decked the car in Hooters colors and employed Elton Sawyer and Loy Allen Jr. In 1997, still registered to DBM, the car was sponsored by Tonka/Hasbro and driven by Kenny Irwin Jr. and Rick Wilson. In 1998, with Ford's Taurus displacing the Thunderbird in NASCAR's top series, chassis #176 was purchased by Speed Shop of Greenville, South Carolina for intermittent Hooters Cup competition. And in 2000, the retired racer was sold to G-Force Engines and Chassis who, with the help of Mooresville, North Carolina's Bickle/Smith Motorsports, completed a 2-year, $67K restoration.

Presently, this Ford's body, which wore various splotches of day-glow red Hooters paint around a patch panel for a Watkins Glen-spec fuel filler, has been polished to a concise, show-worthy appearance. And details, like correct, blue-tinged Budweiser scripts, old school Winston Cup markings and a full suite of 1992-specific Richard Petty Fan Appreciation Tour decals, ensure period-correct aesthetics that'll look right at home on the race track!

ENGINE/DRIVETRAIN

Check this track weapon's barred engine bay and you'll find a 358 cubic inch, period-correct small block that was supplied by NASCAR wizards Wegner Automotive. At the top of the mean mill, body-matched cowl induction centers a cool Junior Johnson autograph over a big Holley carburetor and a Ford Motorsport intake that appears to have been massaged by Wilson Manifolds. At the sides of that intake, Busch-branded valve covers prop a polished K&N breather over custom-fabricated headers. Those headers snake around heavy duty Scott plug wires, which are sparked by a duo of MSD Blaster 2 coils, familiar MSD ignition and a traditional points distributor. Cooling comes courtesy of a big aluminum radiator that's backed by a quick-spinning SPAL puller fan. Braided hoses highlight a Peterson competition oil system. And all that first-rate hardware adds up to a reliably brutal 790 horsepower.

Those horses flow through a tough Jerico 4-speed, which twists torque to a proven Ford 9-inch that's fitted with big, 3.70 gears. That drivetrain rolls in a heavy-duty, race-spec chassis that's augmented with serious Bilstein shocks. Modern power steering provides precise turn-in. Requisite disc brakes keep fade at bay with big ducts, proven Wilwood calipers and quality Tilton fluid reservoirs. Massive exhaust pipes crawl halfway down the car's brilliant floors on their way to prompt, 45-degree exits. And everything rolls on 15-inch Circle Racing Wheels, which spin 27.5x12-15 Goodyear Eagle slicks around a cool combination of red and blue pinstripes.

COCKPIT

Inside the car's race-ready cockpit, a beefy Innovative Safety Products seat rides between dual nets and a full array of Simpson safety harnesses. In front of that seat, a spartan dash centers Auto Meter Pro-Comp telemetry between era-correct decals and vintage Junior Johnson & Associates switches. The driver takes control through a traditional Hurst shifter and simple steering wheel, which laps a proven Schroeder hub. And everything glows in the same shade of 'Budweiser Red' that's coated the car's floors since its Winston Cup debut.

OUR SALE INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTATION AND ACCESSORIES

* A small promo picture that's been signed by Bill Elliot
* A 1992 Ford Motorsport Sportswear & Accessories catalog
* Specs, notes, receipts and component literature from the car's 2002 restoration
* A themed car cover
* Some spare sheetmetal and a few spare parts

This old asphalt warrior is the very definition of a stock car time capsule, and when you see it in person you'll be just as blown away as we were. Not only is it an accurate representation of what some of NASCAR's biggest stars piloted around some of the sport's toughest tracks, it's also an iconic relic of the era that built Sprint Cup racing into a national pastime. Are you an octane-fueled motorsports fanatic who's looking to take your passion to the next level? Don't miss this opportunity to own an amazing piece of Winston Cup history!