Review: 2023 Chevrolet Corvette 70th Anniversary Special Edition
America's sports car never looked better
It was built for speed.
In 1986, General Motors designed a pair of cars to help it win in NASCAR.
The Chevrolet Monte Carlo Aerocoupe and Pontiac Grand Prix 2+2 featured unique noses and unusual fastback rear windows that were intended to improve their performance on the racing circuit's high speed ovals and help fend off the sleek new Ford Thunderbirds.
At the time, "stock" cars were required to have bodies that closely resembled the production vehicles they were based on, so GM actually had to sell a few thousand of the cars to homologate them for racing.
RARE 1970 PONTIAC GTO ‘JUDGE’ COULD SELL FOR A FORTUNE. HERE'S WHY
The rear bubble-shaped window improved aerodynamics. (Mecum Auctions)
It worked. Chevrolet dominated the year behind Dale Earnhardt's championship run, and Rusty Wallace added wins for Pontiac at Martinsville and Bristol.
While Wallace's car was painted white with Kodiak sponsorship for most of the season, all the 1,225 or so V8-powered production cars were silver. Except one.
Pontiac built a single black example with a tan interior that it used for promotional purposes, but never certified it for street use.
The car is fully loaded, despite not being street legal. (Mecum Auctions)
Instead, it was later donated to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame outside Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, where it has been part of the collection for decades.
The hall's director, Mike Raita, told Fox News Digital that the facility's museum is undergoing a long-needed renovation and redesign that will be taking it in a different direction and that it is auctioning the car at the upcoming Mecum Auctions event in Kissimmee, Florida.
Only around 1,225 silver cars were sold. (Mecum Auctions )
Despite not being street legal, the car has racked up 2,748 miles on its odometer, but Raita said that was likely all before the hall took possession of it.
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It has not been started in years and needs a new battery, but is in good condition and should not be hard to get running again.
GM donated the car to the museum. (Mecum Auctions)
The car is scheduled to cross the block on Saturday, Jan. 14. Mecum has not put a pre-auction estimate on its value, which would be tough to nail down, but the silver cars often sell in the $20,000 range.
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There was one Grand Prix that went for a bit more, however. One of Wallace's actual race cars was auctioned for charity in 2019 for $100,000.