Petty Blue 71 RR's?

[1972RM23]

I know B3 blue for 1972 was a Petty blue color but was there ever that color available for 1971?
Sort of like Corporation Blue on 1970 Superbirds. Was that a 999 special order paint?

I found this on the internet so it must be true!!?!!!????
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/tag/nascar/

Hemmings Finds of the Day – Petty Blue Plymouth Road Runners




Mopar fans, feel free to elaborate – we couldn’t find any more information on a raffling of a Petty Blue Plymouth Road Runner in 1971 than what the seller of these two 1971 Plymouth Road Runners was able to provide. According to the seller, Plymouth only built three petty Blue Road Runners that year, and these two for sale on Hemmings.com are No. 2 and No. 3, both 383 cars and both in need of restoration. They differ slightly in their specifications: The No. 2 car has black interior, an automatic transmission and a vinyl top, while the No. 3 car has blue interior, a manual transmission, and tank tread graphics.

It would make sense that Plymouth publicize their link to Petty in 1971. That was, after all, the year that Petty drove a Hemi-powered Road Runner in NASCAR, winning the Daytona 500 and 20 other races to take the Winston Championship and earning more than $1 million.

So if these are No. 2 and No. 3, then can we presume King Richard still has No. 1? Or is No. 1 yet another contest car that is yet to be found?

[Eric]

One is a HEMI car

[mikedonovan]

i have chatted with the guy on the 2 petty blue cars,, heres my delemma. I know the guys that search out the good cars>rare etc. I also know Jay Leno and Jessy James, and Gavin Govier. There not interested??? Cars been sitting for yrs... There are many RARE MOPARS out there with crazy vins, and one of a kind parts on umm. Some of these cars were takin to Dealers and fitted with options just to sell them, and not on vin. Customers have no clue???. WOW-LOOKS KOOL THING...

[bruce]

Like I replied on the Moparts thread, I know of one that's in a private j-yard here in NC. And as I've told Eric, I really need to get back there and document the car.

[mikedonovan]

the color was availible in 1968

[1972RM23]

So is that color the same as ...
1968 Corporate Blue code ?
1970 Coporate Blue (999 code?)
1972 (1973) Basin Street blue B3
Was this is a 999 code color in 1971 or a special run?

[Eric]

The code would be 999 for 71. It was a special order color.

[ILUV72RRs]

The current owner of the Hemi car. Who I know. Bought it because Ken thought for sure it was somehow tied to Richard Petty. Due to all the "stories" being handed down with it. Owning it, or whatever might be. Ken even went so far as to tow it from out here in southern California. All the way cross country. Back to Petty Enterprises for Richard to look at it. So Richard could verify ownership. Richard looked at it, and told him nice car. But I never ordered it, owned it, or had anything to do with it. Yeah, Ken wasn't exactly happy when he heard that. Now if you have enough bucks. It's for sale. Ken collects cars to keep for a short time, then resell. He's made his living doing this. He would of got more if he could of got Richard to say he owned it, or had something to do with it, and signed it. It's a good 50 feet car. Not that nice close up. A color of a car isn't enough for a Jay Leno type of person to want to own something. It has to have something more than just that going for it. Maybe if it had been one of one. But we've established that there are something like 4 of these known now. Maybe a couple more out there? You won't find a mega buck collector with a ho-hum Mopar in their collection. Unless it's super low mileage, garaged all it's life. Better yet, has a verified story to go with it. Sorry, but a '71 383 Road Runner doesn't thrill them enough to want to own it, and restore it. Even if it is Petty Blue. Which it isn't. Because it's Corporate Blue. Not exactly the same shade of blue as Petty Blue. Only in our minds we call it that. Close, but no cigar. They offered the color for a short time in the south. In 1966 on Satellites. As a promotional deal.

[Eric]

I really wanted that HEMI car when it came up for sale out of Joe Stentella's collection. Sadly, I don't have the funds available for a car like that. It's just about the ultimate 71 for me. Out of curiosity, do you know how much $$ changed hands in the deal?

[ILUV72RRs]

I wish I could tell you. But I honestly don't know. I'm sure it had to be a bunch. I can ask a third party I know who deals with Ken from time to time. Sometimes I really don't want to know. As it gives me a headache!

[72GTX4SPEED]

those 2 cars maybe owned by a guy named scott lindsey. he is the same guy who ownes the butterscotch 71 hemi car with the smashed door that was in mcg 1 1/2 years ago. if that is the cars i met him at norwalk while looking at one he just bought. i turned him onto another 71 999 blue car that was in the cleveland area.


clem

[72Rdrnner]

This may be urban legend, and I hope to put it to rest as this May I'm going to Charlotte for the NASCAR race and plan on visiting Petty's Garage open house.

The color was B3, no doubt about it. My '72 has it but it's called "Basin Street Blue". Legend is that since The King wanted a winged car in ''69, but they only had the Dodge Daytona, and he being a Plymouth driver, he was SOL. So in '69 he drove for Ford. Next year they had the '70 Super Bird and he was back in the Plymouth camp. But he would not let Chrysler use "Petty Blue" for the color, hence Basin Street Blue.

As I said, may be urban legend, will try and find out in four months!

[moparest]

Is it true Ken Funk tragically lost his beautiful Petty Blue roadrunner in the California wildfires? That's just brutal. I know he was interviewed (search for 2011 Muscle Car And Corvette Nationals 1971 Hemi Roadrunner) and talked about his 1 of 1 car and how he got it. He said he contacted the owner and it was a "weird phone call" and couldn't strike a deal. Then, he tried again a few years later and said the owner "seemed to be in a better mood". Well, there may just be a connection to my 1971 Petty Blue Hemi Roadrunner experience, involving an eccentric gentleman that I lived near (in New York) who had one. I saw it parked on the street I lived on and walked up to it with my jaw agape. He walked up and of course I peppered him with questions (because I'm a huge 1971 Roadrunner fan). He told me the "story" of the car. He didn't say who he got it from, but said that Plymouth gave it to Richard Petty as a gift in 1971 who then donated it to a charity auction. I asked him what he would sell it for and he said $75,000 (it was around the year 2002 at the time and I would have immediately bought it, but I didn't even have $75 at the time). It looked exactly like Ken Funk's car, with the following differences: the car had a white interior, but had a blue carpet and it was a column shift. I don't remember if it was a coupe or post car. I wonder if this was the car Ken Funk bought - perhaps my memory was faulty or the car got changed along the way. Could have sworn the guy pulled down on the column after starting the car and before immediately burning rubber and fishtailing the car off the curb and on to show at Carlisle. Anyway, I know the guy's name and would share it privately for those with extreme interest.

[Eric]

The petty blue HEMI car was sadly lost in a fire about 3 years ago, but it was not a forest fire. With a car like that though, it will likely be restored.