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Race Winning 1986 Pontiac Grand Prix NASCAR Headed to Auction

A valuable race-winning 1986 Pontiac Grand Prix NASCAR Cup Series car will be auctioned off at Barrett-Jackson’s upcoming Scottsdale 2019 auction.

This 1986 Pontiac Cup Series car was one of Rusty Wallace’s favorite cars. “Millie” as Rusty nicknamed the car, is exactly the same as when he raced it on short and intermediate tracks. It was kept in a climate-controlled area when on display at Bristol Motor Speedway Museum from 2009-2012 and
Barrett-Jackson says it’s a “great car for any collection or historical racing.”

Cup Series cars of this year were powered by 350ci V8 engines, which were mated to four-speed manual transmissions. This car retains its original powertrain and other crucial original parts as well.

Rusty-Wallace-NASCAR-1986-2
This car is sure to be a good investment or collector’s item. Wallace won multiple races driving Kodiak-liveried cars, including the 1989 Winston Cup championship. He won two races in 1986, one at Bristol in an Aluguard-sponsored Pontiac and another at Martinsville. He also had two top five finishes that year, one on the road course at Riverside and one at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

While it will likely go into a collection, we’d love to see the future owner of this retro NASCAR enter it in historic racing. NASCAR cars of this era had near-perfect dimensions and weren’t too big or too awkward-looking, if you ask us. This is also the somewhat famous Grand Prix NASCAR ‘Aerocoupe’ which later spawned a road-going version with the same aerodynamically-enhanced rear window.

Also included in this sale is a vintage replica helmet signed by Rusty Wallace. Rusty, a hall of fame NASCAR driver, was the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion and also the 1991 IROC Series Champion.

Rusty-Wallace-NASCAR-1986-3

Barrett-Jackson says 100% of the sale price of this car will benefit the Task Force Dagger Foundation, which provides assistance to wounded, ill or injured U.S. Special Operations Command members and their families.

Wallace’s 1986 Pontiac Grand Prix will go under the gavel at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale starting on January 12th.

Sam loves to write and has a passion for auto racing, karting and performance driving of all types.

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Comment

  1. You have it backwards, sort of. The Grand Prix and Monte Carlo were dominated by the new much more aerodynamic T-Bird. Chevrolet and Pontiac–the manufacturers–responded with a special limited run of street cars which made the Aerocoupes eligible for completion. (Back then, as you probably know, NASCAR only permitted RWD, American-built coupes, and specified a certain number. The Lumina, which I believe was made in Canada, was the first FWD car NASCAR allowed. Or maybe it was the Cutlass, the years are flying by!) Whether Chevrolet and Pontiac was manufacturing Aeroupes before they were raced I can’t tell you, but you can bet they were announced beforehand.

    The max “legal” engine size was also 358 cubic engines–not 350. It long been rumored that Richard Petty raced with something well in excess of 400 cubic inches so that he could be allowed to win his 200th race with Ronald Reagan in attendance at Daytona’s Firecracker 400 in 1980 something.

    If you look close you’ll see this car has Hoosier tires. Hoosier raced a few years in NASCAR but not until 1988. Here’s an interesting story on that you and a few others might find interesting:

    https://www.racing-reference.info/showblog?id=2651

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