Here is our third participant for our 45th Anniversary exhibit at the 2014 Keeneland Concours d’Elegance in Lexington KY July 19 2014. If you want to be part of this event you can still attend and bring your Ford/Mercury Aero Car to a special Coral style parking are. Please let me know well ahead of time. You may also want to stay at our groups hotel. Most of us will be staying at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Lexington Keeneland Airport by Marriott at 3050 Lakecrest Circle, Lexington, KY 40513. Phone 859-224-3338. Because the hotel will sell out I encourage you to book early. Rates are $119 or $114 with AAA membership.
We have been invited to display one of every model of the 1969 Ford Aero Cars. Our third car to be announced is owned by Barry Miller and is a 1969 Ford Talladega RACE CAR. Here is what will appear on Barry’s Display Board.
“Benny Parsons bought this car from Holman/Moody on 1/27/1968 for $1.00 as he was a Ford project driver. The car came without the engine so Benny and his crew had to prep an engine. Benny won the 1968 ARCA championship in this car and it was his backup and short track car for the 1969 ARCA championship. Benny qualified for the 1968 ARCA 300 at Daytona on the pole at 179.459. This car was last raced the fall of 1969 at Salem, Indiana where Benny was relieved by his crew chief Ralph Young who spun in the oil of another car and wrecked the car. Ralph said he had a concussion and 3 broken ribs and that it was a long ride back to Detroit in such pain. The car was repaired sold to Wendell Scott and race as a red 1969 Torino #34 until he destroyed it in practice in July, 1970 at Trenton, NJ. The car was reskinned as a 1971 Torino in blue paint, and raced through early 1973. The car was also used in the 1978 movie Greased Lighting about Wendell’s life. I purchased the car in 2005 from Rich Turner who restored the car, except for the right engine, in 1995. The car now has a 427 tunnelport engine.”
