UPDATE:For everyone who has been dying to see the amazing Legacy by Petty Dodge Challenger, now might be your chance. AllPar.com announced yesterday that Petty's Garage will be launching the tribute Challenger at 10:30 AM on May 28, 2011. Click the flyer for full details.

What a way to pay tribute to the King, Richard Petty! In essence, the car tells the story of Petty’s professional life, beginning with Petty’s NASCAR Rookie of the Year career start, through his record-setting 200 wins, the seven NASCAR Championships and finally to his more recent work spreading car lift safety awareness. The car has been officially dubbed Legacy by Petty , and it’s a one-of-a-kind Dodge Challenger the likes that will never be seen again.

So what makes this build so unique? Longtime BendPak friends Drop-Top Customs offered their talents to do what they do best—they transformed the classic Dodge Challenger into a fully functional convertible. It turns out that this is the very first convertible to roll out of Petty’s Garage, Richard Petty’s own speed shop for high-performance vehicles.

The base coat on Legacy by Petty is the same trademark Petty Blue color that “The King” made famous on his number ‘43 Superbird. But it’s Petty’s incredible story told by the airbrushed graphics that draws the fans. For that sacred work, airbrush artist Mickey Harris was called on to cover the vehicle with wonderfully detailed images of Petty’s career highlights, including his lap 106 crash in the ’88 Daytona 500 and his Medal of Freedom. Petty is the first motorsports athlete ever to be honored with America’s highest civilian award.

Every rendering was airbrushed freehand by Harris while Petty and an audience looked on during an open-house presentation at Petty’s Garage in Level Cross, North Carolina last November.

build to celebrate Petty’s long-standing relationship with the institute. Petty and his son, fellow NASCAR legend Kyle Petty, are the hosts of Lifting It Right , an informational DVD produced and distributed by ALI that focuses on car lift safety.

“Automotive lift safety is not just for the service professional,” said Petty at the event, “It’s important in the hobby and collector market too.”

To further cement the relationship between Legacy by Petty and the Automotive Lift Institute, the automobile also feature’s ALI’s website,

Legacy by Petty is the result of more than 11 months of design and development. Unlike many shops that outsource much of a build, Petty’s Garage does it all in-house, bringing in top professionals for specialized work when needed. Outside experts collaborating on Legacy by Petty’s build include

For more information about ALI, visit www.autolift.org or call (607) 756-7775. For more information about Petty’s Garage, visit www.pettys-garage.com or call (336) 498-3745.

About ALI

Founded in 1945, the Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) is a trade association of North American-based lift manufacturers. ALI’s mission is to promote the safe design, construction, installation, service and use of automotive lifts. In 1947, ALI developed the first Commercial Standard covering vehicle lifts published by the National Bureau of Standards. Today ALI sponsors several national lift safety standards and offers a third-party certification program for automotive lifts. More information about lift standards and other ALI-sponsored safety activities, such as the lift Safety Training DVD Lifting It Right hosted by Richard and Kyle Petty, can be found on the Institute’s website, www.autolift.org .