DAN GURNEY'S CHEVROLET IMPALA "SALOON CAR" WILL RACE AGAIN―AT LAGUNA SECA

Chevrolet has won more stock car races than any other brand in history, and it ran Impalas in NASCAR from 1959 to 1964, then again from 2007 to 2012. So it’s no surprise that the great American racer Dan Gurney would pilot one at some point in his prolific career. But one particular Impala, Gurney’s 1961 model, he ran in a whole ‘nuther series in a whole ‘nuther country.

Gurney was as much a European race car driver as an American. So in 1961 he entered a slightly modified but still technically stock 1961 Chevy Impala with a mighty 409 big block in the British Saloon Car Championship at Silverstone, England, competing against much-smaller-displacement European sedans.

But as sometimes happens in racing, the day was bittersweet. Gurney was leading the Silverstone race when the car broke a wheel and dropped out, on the second-to-last lap.

To add insult to British injury, the car and its big and powerful V8 were then banned from further competition. Gurney disputed the ban, but there ain’t no argument against sheer displacement, and the Eagle lost the case.

“Dad wasn’t very happy with the ban prior to the second race and tried to argue his case, but in the end realized he couldn’t fight city hall and sold it on the spot,” said Justin Gurney, Dan’s son and the current president and CEO of the racing and technology company his father started, All American Racers.

Now, 63 years later, Justin owns the car, and will drive it as the pace car for the “Dan Gurney Saloon Car Trophy” at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion August 13-16 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

“My dad loved this car and always talked about it,” explained Justin. “There’s a photo of him in our office’s hallway, and a large mural in the shop, driving it.”

Justin says he’s excited about returning to Laguna Seca and bringing the historic Impala back to life, though he won’t be banging doors on the track.

“I’m not going to race the car, but to participate as the pace car in the Dan Gurney Saloon Car Trophy races,” he said. “It’s going to be both exciting and sentimental when―unmuffled as it will be―the deep guttural 409 big block engine should turn quite a few heads.”

Getting the car to this point was quite an adventure.

“When the Impala was restored, the original 409 engine couldn’t be found, so a different 409 engine was installed,” read a release from the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. “But when the owner expressed interest in selling the car to Justin, the original 409 with matching numbers was found…as the power plant inside a boat!”

The car arrived recently in a shipping container at the Port of Los Angeles after a circuitous route through Scotland, Europe, the Panama Canal, and Canada, throughout which Justin kept tracking its movement. When he finally unlocked and swung open the door to see the Impala for the first time, it had the original 409 strapped down on the floor of the container behind it.

Justin slid in behind the wheel.

“It was an emotional experience to sit on the bench seat and take hold of the steering wheel. It even has the original AM radio that dad kept intact, although this car is so loud there is no way you could hear music!”

The car promises to be a crowd pleaser at this summer’s Reunion.

“We are thrilled to invite Justin to the Rolex Reunion and have him bring this historic Impala that meant so much to his dad,” said Bruce Canepa, chair of the Rolex Reunion Advisory Council and vice president of Friends of Laguna Seca. “Everyone will enjoy seeing and hearing this long-lost car fittingly serve as the pace car for the Saloon car race. Making memories like this are what the Rolex Reunion is all about.”

Justin was anxious to show the Impala to his mother Evi and give her a ride around town. And according to Canepa, he’s pressing Justin to take her out as a passenger during the pace laps at the Rolex Reunion.

“I can’t think of a better tribute to Dan than to have Evi riding shotgun with Justin in one of Dan’s favorite cars at one of his favorite race courses,” Canepa said.

Just another reason to plan on attending the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, Canepa added. This year there will be more than 400 historic race cars competing, including entries for the 75th Anniversary Celebration of Formula 1 and the return of the IROC race series with many of their legendary drivers behind the wheel. Start planning now.

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2025-01-10T20:17:45Z