A Jones for a Mustang - Parnelli just wanted a paint job for his '70 'Stang, instead he got 500 new ones with his name on the side

摘要

YOU COULD COUNT THE American racers with the credentials of Parnelli Jones on one hand (assuming no band saw accidents): Dan Gurney, Mario Andretti, A. J. Foyt and Carroll Shelby. They are an elite bunch, with championships in diverse arenas as well as enough engineering smarts to start their own car companies, which a couple of them did. It's not necessary to review Jones' accomplishments, but just in case you were born in the video-game age, here we go: He won the Indy 500 in 1963 in a car called "Old Calhoun" and almost won it again in 1967 in that whooshing-cool turbine car; won the Trans-Am championship back in 1970 when it was a bigger deal than NASCAR, by only a single point over the formidable Mark Donohuc; won the Baja 1000 twice in that wild "Big Oly" Bronco with the huge wing on top; and took a class win at Pikes Peak in 1963 driving a Mercury stock car. That's in addition to numerous sprint car titles, USAC championships and a career begun as a jalopy driver on the dirt tracks of Southern California. He was even more successful as a team owner with business partner Vel Miletich, winning 53 Indy car races and the Indy 500 twice with Al Unser driving. He ran his own Formula One team from 1974 to 1976. His business sense, with that of Miletich, meant most of Southern California at one point drove around on the Firestone tires he sold. ("Get Your 'Stones From Parnelli Jones," the bumper stickers said.) So last year, when Jones inquired at Saleen about getting his personal 1970 Mustang repainted, it wasn't like just your average 5.0 reader had wandered into Saleen Inc.