Huge Gallery of Rare Stuff from Petty’s Museum & Shop

When your career spans 35 years and you’ve racked up 200 wins with seven Winston Cup titles, it’s probably a safe bet that you’ve collected some swag along the way. Throw in a bunch of cars and all the sponsorship merchandise associated with those accomplishments, and you inevitably end up with enough stuff to start a museum. That is exactly what “The King” Richard Petty’s wife Linda did in 1988. The Petty Museum was originally established at the Richard Petty Enterprises facility in the Petty family’s home town of Level Cross, North Carolina. In 2003 it was moved to a new facility in the nearby town of Randleman, where it remained until 2014. That year it moved back to the Level Cross location, which is actually where Lee Petty started the race team, and where the cars that took Richard to those seven titles were built.

While the main focus of the displays are linked to Richard’s success, it is more than just a celebration of one individual. It is a showcase that spans four generations of the Petty family, which includes his father Lee Petty, his son Kyle, and his grandson, Adam. If you’re a Mopar lover, there is plenty of eye candy on display, since the most successful years Richard had were either behind the wheel of a Dodge or a Plymouth. There are also some Oldsmobiles, Buicks, Chevys, and Pontiacs in the mix if you’re a well-rounded car guy.

1959 Oldsmobile 88 Hardtop — A replica of the car in which Lee Petty won the Inaugural Daytona 500

The museum also offers 60-plus years of NASCAR history, and the impact that the Petty name had in its growth. From its humble origins, you can see the series growth as big money poured into the sport, and how sponsorship evolved beyond the Detroit automobile companies to all forms of products. If you like diecast cars, you’ll be able to spend a few hours looking at all the various examples made over the years, and the various obscure liveries that have been preserved in small scale. There are of course cases and cases filled with trophies collected over the years that are the measure of success, and cases of items that have nothing to do with racing. One of those prominent displays shows the huge collection of firearms that Richard has amassed over the years. As an avid gun aficionado, his collection is both vast and impressive in its scope.

Beyond the cars and memorabilia on display, the facility also houses a thriving work zone that is Petty’s Garage. At any given point in time when you visit the museum you can also have a peek at some of the projects the Petty’s Garage crew are working on in the shop. If you own a Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, or Ram vehicle, they can take it to the next level in performance with one of their powertrain and suspension upgrades. If vintage Mopar’s are your thing and you want one restored, they can do that as well. If you want a Superbird clone like the one they recently built as a giveaway for Smithfield Foods, they can put one together powered by whatever Chrysler flavor you like, old or new. They also have a thriving Mustang business if you happen to have friends who are looking for a unique Blue Oval product. We spent a few days hanging out and documented some of what you can see at the museum; some items not open to the public, and some of the really cool projects currently under construction at Petty’s Garage.

[Left] This car is a recreation of the 1971 Plymouth Road Runner that Richard drove. While it looks the part on the outside, it is actually a road-going car that is used for promotional purposes at ARCA races. The original car had Goodyear tires, however, Petty’s Garage has a huge sponsorship deal with General Tires, which are the official tire supplier of ARCA, so this car sports General rubber. [Center] While the hood says 426 on the 1971 Plymouth, the engine under the hood is a 440. Those familiar with how stock cars look under the skin will notice that this car still retains its original firewall and inner fenders. [Right] This 1972 Dodge Charger is the real deal, not a recreation. This car represents the first year Petty and STP teamed up. That year he notched eight wins, 25 top-fives, and 28 top-ten finishes, which gave him his fourth NASCAR Winston Cup Championship.

[Left In 1972 the Hemi was the weapon of choice in the NASCAR ranks. Under the hood of the Charger lies one of the race-prepped Hemis that propelled “The King” to his fourth Winston Cup Championship. [Right] The 1957 Oldsmobile 88 on display in the museum is a replica of Richard Petty’s first car that he raced in NASCAR. This car was designed with a removable hardtop so that it could race in either the convertible or the hardtop series. Cars like this were designed to race in different series, unlike today, where teams have purpose-built cars for a variety of different tracks.

[Left] This 1949 Buick Roadmaster is from Richard Petty’s private collection. He is a big fan of this body style so it is prominently displayed in the museum. [Center] Not every race car that is built makes it to the track. This Dodge Charger is actually a show car that was built to mark the end of Winston as the primary sponsor of NASCAR’s premier series in 2003. It was never raced, but was used extensively by Richard Petty for promotional purposes. [Right] When NASCAR introduced the “Car of Tomorrow,” teams were forced to switch over. This is the first “Car of Tomorrow” built at Petty Enterprises. It was assembled in 2007 and was driven by Bobby Labonte. The paint scheme celebrated Richard’s 50th year of NASCAR involvement.

[Left] In 1965, NASCAR banned the 426 Hemi, so many of the Chrysler-backed drivers moved to other forms of racing. Richard went drag racing with a Hemi-powered Barracuda. This car on display in the museum is the second of two built in 1965. It was recently restored at Petty’s Garage. [Right] This is one of the Hemi-powered Belvedere’s that propelled Richard Petty to 27 wins, 10 of which were consecutive in 1967. This is the most successful car in the Petty collection.

[Left] Sponsored and built for the Automotive Lift Institute, Petty’s Garage modified this 2009 Dodge Challenger and made it a running tribute to Richard Petty. [Center] Perhaps the most famous car in the Petty collection, the 1970 Superbird, was Plymouth’s answer to get Richard Petty to defect from Ford. In 1969 he switched over to the Blue Oval but said he might return back to the Mopar ranks if an aero car was available for him to race. [Right] This station wagon is based on the “Mrs. The King” character from the Cars movie. This is a 1969 Forrd Fairlane station wagon that was actually used by Lynda Petty to go to the races.

[Left] In recognition of his contributions to NASCAR, this checkered flag was given to Richard Petty after his last Daytona 500 in 1992. It was signed by all the drivers and is an item that hangs in one of areas in the museum not open to the public. [Center] The “200 Wins” license plate was a gift to Richard Petty commemorating the legacy by Petty’s Garage. [Right] Diecast cars play prominently in the Petty family history. Richard Petty partnered with Racing Champions to do a series of cars that spanned 50 years. Each car in the set portrays the actual graphics used on the race car from that year. How many have you collected?!

[Left] At the end of 1970, NASCAR banned the Superbird, so Plymouth went back to the wind tunnel with the 1971 model. The 1:6 scale clay model on display was used to develop the aero package for 1971. [Right] Not all items in the Petty Museum come from corporate sponsors. These pedal cars are actually gifts to the museum that weren’t available for sale.

[Left] There are numerous cases that display the diecast cars in the museum. This one houses a collection of 1:18th scale cars that show the various liveries over the years. [Center] Another pair of diecasts commemorates the first win and last start for Richard Petty at Martinsville Speedway. This was awarded to him in 1992, his final season as a driver. [Right] In 2009 and 2010, Richard Petty Enterprises fielded an Indycar entry at the Indy 500 with John Andretti as the driver. The deal saw the cars carry the traditional blue and day-glo orange found on the stock cars. These two diecast examples illustrate what the cars looked like.

[Left] When you cut deals with sponsors, there are often merchandising opportunities involved. In the mid ’80s Richard Petty had a personal service agreement with Pepsi and these limited-edition bottles are part of that deal. These are NOT for you to open and drink! [Right] When you have a successful career as long as Richard Petty, other stars in other sports pay attention. Over the years many have given him personalized mementos in recognition of his achievements.

[Left] Richard Petty is an avid gun collector and his museum is the ideal spot to showcase that collection. There are many limited-edition numbered guns in the collection, and his goal has always been to collect the 43rd of every series he liked. Some of these were purchased over the years, and some were donated. [Center] This 1973 Plymouth Road Runner GTX is a car that came from Texas to have some engine work done. The Viper behind has a twin-turbo installation. Both cars illustrate the versatility and variety of work being performed at Petty’s Garage. [Right] During our visit to Petty’s Garage, there were three Superbirds in the shop being rebuilt. The blue one is a real 440 six-barrel car that is receiving a 426 Hemi transplant and will look like Richard Petty’s 1970 Superbird, while the orange one is a clone.

[Left] This 426 Hemi will be dropped into the blue Superbird once it is complete. Hemis like this one were lying all over the place during our visit! [Right] This 1963 Dodge Polara Convertible is a recent arrival to the shop. It is 1 of 11 convertibles built with a 426 Max Wedge engine. Petty’s Garage will be doing a full restoration on this car.

[Left] While the Dodge Polara looks a bit rough, the 426 Max Wedge that came with the car looks ready to be dropped in. [Center] Something new and something old. The 2017 Challenger Hellcat is awaiting the installation of a bigger blower, while the Superbird is a project car that has been at Petty’s Garage for a number of years, and is finally moving forward with a nut-and-bolt restoration. [Right] Not every car that comes into the shop is a performance vehicle. The Dodge Magnum R/T wagon on the lift was having a head and camshaft package installed.

[Left] The orange Challenger with the Barracuda grille was a full build performed at the shop. It was supercharged and also received a suspension upgrade. [Right] Engine swaps are pretty common at Petty’s Garage. This Jeep was having a 5.7-liter Hemi installed while we were there.

[Left] This 1974 Dodge Charger took Richard Petty to his fifth Daytona 500 win. He also won 10 races that year and took home his fifth NASCAR Winston Cup Championship. [Center] Located in its own section, the museum has on display items that belonged to Adam Petty. On display is the Pontiac he drove in the ARCA series, and the Chevrolet that he used in the Busch Series. [Right] This Pontiac Grand Prix propelled Richard to his 200th win at the 1984 Firecracker 400 at Daytona. This was his last win in NASCAR and was attended by President Ronald Reagan.

Originally written by John Machaquiero for Mopar Muslcle
Source: http://www.hotrod.com/articles/huge-gallery-rare-stuff-pettys-museum-shop/