Well-preserved pieces of history are always of
high interest to us here at West Chevy, and the entire decade of the 1970's provided almost
too many muscle car gems to count! The savvy folks on staff at the GM
Authority Blog reported this past week on one particularly memorable
piece of racing history that will be soon headed for sale. The 1977 Chevy Nova
driven by Dale Earnhardt in the Nascar Bush Series will soon be auctioned off
during the 2019 Palm Beach Sale by Barrett-Jackson.
The car was originally built by Earnhardt's
brother-in-law, Robert Gee Jr. Earnhardt. He drove the car for the initial race
after the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Series was re-branded as the Busch series
in 1986, and took first at the beginning race in Daytona that year. According
to auctioneer experts Barrett-Jackson, this chassis also was responsible for
wins at Rockingham, Darlington, and Richmond. This was actually the car that
began its life as Dale's Wrangler Jeans-backed Pontiac Ventura, but Gee made
the decision to convert the car to a Nova due to the high-quality aerodynamic
properties it boasts.
It boasts a NASCAR-spec 358 V8 under the hood,
which makes around 700 horsepower, along with a 4-speed manual transmission. It
is slated to be listed in “good running and driving condition”, but the seller
suggests having a professional give it a detailed look before the owner decides
to embark on any serious adventures, as it has taken up residence in a private
collection for quite a few years. It has also made a number of public
appearances: one of them was at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England
during 2005, 2006, and 2009. It was also shown at the 2014 Councours d'
Elegance at St John's in Michigan, as well as participating in the 2012 Rolex
Monterey Sports Reunion.
It's definitely very difficult to put an exact
value figure on this awesome 1977 Nova, and it's also being offered here without reserve. The third child of racing driver
Ralph Earnhardt, Dale began his career in 1975, driving in the prestigious
Winston Cup Series. Absolutely regarded as one of the most significant drivers
in NASCAR history, Earnhardt won an astounding total of 76 Winston Cup Races
during his career, with one of them being the famed 1998 Daytona 500.
In 2001, Earnhardt was tragically killed in a
collision that took place during the final lap of the Daytona 500, and has been
mourned heftily and looked back upon fondly ever since. Someone will now get to
permanently own this significant automotive artifact, and it will be of dire
interest to see where it finds its new home after the Palm Beach event!
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