When talking about Richard Petty, one of NASCAR's greatest drivers, we usually picture him next to a No. 43 Mopar. And that's not at all surprising, given that he spent 17 seasons with Plymouth and Dodge. But "The King" also raced for Ford and GM. While his stint with Ford was short-lived (just one season - 1969), Petty drove for various GM divisions from 1978 until his retirement in 1992.
Richard actually made its NASCAR debut with Oldsmobile in 1958, but he spent only one season with the carmaker before he switched to Plymouth. In 1978, Petty left Dodge for Chevy and spent two seasons switching between Chevrolet and Oldsmobile cars. He then raced a Buick in 1981 before moving to Pontiac in 1982.
His stint at Pontiac wasn't particularly successful, but it was his longest with one carmaker, tied with the one he had at Plymouth from 1959 to 1969 and then again from 1970 to 1972. Why is that important? Well, Pontiac built some cool-looking NASCAR racers in the 1980s. One was the Grand Prix 2+2, the company's take on the Chevrolet Monte Carlo Aerocoupe.
If you're unfamiliar with the latter, it's a more aerodynamic take on the Monte Carlo SS, developed specifically for NASCAR homologation. Fitted with a deeply sloped rear window and a shorter decklid with a spoiler, the Aerocoupe was introduced in 1986 and built in 200 units. It was one of the cars that helped Chevrolet win nine back-to-back NASCAR championships from 1983 to 1991.
The Pontiac version also arrived in 1986 with a similar rear end and an aero-optimized nose. The company made only 1,118 units for street use, all fitted with a 305-cubic-inch (5.0-liter) four-barrel V8 engine. The Poncho was nowhere near as successful as its Chevrolet sibling, but it looked tremendous in Petty Enterprises' blue-over-orange "STP" livery. "The King" drove the 2+2 to three podiums and eight top ten finished in 1986, and four podiums and nine top ten finished in 1987.
Come 2023, the 1987 car is still around, spending its retirement years in the Petty Museum. And it was recently taken out of long-term storage for a special and rare appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Having been parked since 2017, the race-spec Grand Prix needed a mild overhaul to come back to life, but the V8 fired up as soon as the folks over at "Petty's Garage" changed the fluids and cleaned the fuel tank. And needless to say, the 358-cubic-inch (5.9-liter) pushrod mill sounds fabulous.
While Petty was a few years away from retirement when he drove the Grand Prix 2+2, he had already established himself as one of NASCAR's greatest drivers. His achievements include seven championships, seven Daytona 500 wins, 200 career wins, and 1,185 starts. He scored five wins and 18 additional podiums while driving Pontiacs.
One of the least successful Detroit automakers, Pontiac won just one Cup Series manufacturers' title in 1962. The brand also scored four titles in the Xfinity series in the 1980s. But that's enough history for today, now hit the play button below to watch Petty's 1987 Pontiac NASCAR racer come back to life after several years.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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