Richard Petty 1981 Dodge Mirada...the car that never run!

[Elliot949]

I am getting ready to list a Juha Airio/ Airtrax 83 Dodge Mirada on Ebay...

[Scalper]

Sweet this will be Awesome.

[lillakev]

I remember that Petty Magnum. It had the deepest, loudest exhaust rumble on the track, even if it wasn't all that fast.

[Gary Smith]

hello, WHERE did you get the magnum body ? I have a dodge magnum and would love to build a model of it !

Edited March 20, 2015 by Gary Smith

[vintagercr]

Great looking models

[GaPettyFan]

Hi guys, new here. A friend and former PE employee attended the 2016 employee reunion and The King confirmed that the Mirada and Buick would have been painted the same. I did this one using a resin body from Southern Motors[ports Hobbies and a Buick chassis from the Monogram Racing Pettys Combo Kit.

Edited January 16, 2017 by GaPettyFan

[shafer]

In the book cars of the king , you can see in the 1981 Buick regal section a photo  of an employee unmasking a car , look closely at the rear quarter window, it is canted , not straight up and down , so I can only assume this is a mirada

 

[Plasticfanatic]

Must give Full credit to GaPettyFan and the diligence in investigating and FINALLY obtaining a photo of the january Petty test Mirada race car in a side profile...yes...the mistery of the look and if the Petty Mirada was in primer...black to some, grey to other...have been put to rest...for good, as GaPettyFan said and did with his model...the Petty test Mirada was fully painted in the form latter used by the Daytona winning Buick.

I searched for year for a side photo of the Petty test Mirada without luck...until I saw that B/W side profile!..by now I have painted my Petty test Mirada in the two tone colors and waiting for the STP logos for the back panels and hood...also visible in that photo...a Good Year decal on top of the front wheel openings, now I have a replica of one if not the most elusive and less documented Petty cars.

[Nells250]

MIRADA?  I have never heard THAT name before!!  Info for my memory-bank, please...   ;-) 

[Vietnam Vet67]

Here are a couple of pictures of the Magnum from a car test session when I worked for Dodge Motorsports.

[Plasticfanatic]

[Plasticfanatic]

The credit for the  above Petty test Mirada picture go to NC Marrk via GaPettyFan forum member, THANKS to the two of them a long debate on how it was when it was tested by Richard Petty team is over.

Those superb color pictures of the test Petty Magnum are great,  I used them to build my black primer Petty Magnum some time back, I saw some of these on another dedicate NASCAR board, thanks for sharing them, it was a BIG visual help in doing the model and have more and detailed pictures of the Petty Magnum race car from the early start!

Edited March 19, 2017 by Plasticfanatic

[moparfarmer]

The credit for the  above Petty test Mirada picture go to NC Marrk via GaPettyFan forum member, THANKS to the two of them a long debate on how it was when it was tested by Richard Petty team is over.

Those superb color pictures of the test Petty Magnum are great,  I used them to build my black primer Petty Magnum some time back, I saw some of these on another dedicate NASCAR board, thanks for sharing them, it was a BIG visual help in doing the model and have more and detailed pictures of the Petty Magnum race car from the early start!

Was it not for the openings in the C panel it was a good car..I read somewhere where the side glass in the C panel made it not to good..Also the flat openings on the headlights did something too..Sure was a sweet looking car though..Didn't Junior Johnson and Darrel Waltrip test one too?

[magicmustang]

Buddy Arrington was the last to drive a Dodge in a Nascar race (Coca Cola 500 in 1985), until they got back in in the 2000's. Here's a pic from "Vintage & Historic Stock Cars" by Dr. John Craft published in 1994.

[moparfarmer]

Buddy Arrington was the last to drive a Dodge in a Nascar race (Coca Cola 500 in 1985), until they got back in in the 2000's. Here's a pic from "Vintage & Historic Stock Cars" by Dr. John Craft published in 1994.

The picture says Dodge Mirada but that car is an Imperial..Check on google Imperial and it looks just like the picture..

[Plasticfanatic]

Yes the above Arrington car is an Imperial...not the Mirada, Arrington used Mirada,Cordaba and Imperial race cars, the Cordoba was only different in the front end style/design from the Mirada. Marcis was another NASCAR driver who used a Mirada. 

[Plasticfanatic]

B. Arrington Mirada.

[Vietnam Vet67]

Old article from Stock Car Racing about the Imperial.

[Plasticfanatic]

Yes is a very nice article, have it on file and is full color. I use it as part of the referencences when I did the body master of the NASCAR Imperial now available as is the  Mirada in resin.

[Plasticfanatic]

My at the time on progress Imperial, no "glass" yet and the front bumper/lower airdam is still unpainted. I am using one of the resin bodies from SHM from my master body. By now the Arrington car is fully finished, have to take new pictures.

[Vietnam Vet67]

I worked at Dodge Motorsports at the Chrysler Engineering Center from 1966 to 2007 in the race engine development area. We used to send Buddy some of our extra engine parts now and then to help him out. Spent a lot of time with his son Joey Arrington at his shop in Martinsville, Virginia from 2001 till I retired in 2007 doing engine development for the Cup and Truck cars.Here is a picture taken at Arrington's shop. I am second from the right next to Richard, Joey is second from the left. The rest are my co- workers from Dodge Motorsports.

 

Edited March 22, 2017 by Vietnam Vet67

[Merkur XR4Ti]

My at the time on progress Imperial, no "glass" yet and the front bumper/lower airdam is still unpainted. I am using one of the resin bodies from SHM from my master body. By now the Arrington car is fully finished, have to take new pictures.

That looks great! What chassis is it on?

[Plasticfanatic]

MercurXR4TI,

 

Thanks, is a late 1980's Monogram Monte Carlo chassis, you can use it as a base to do a Mopar  NASCAR front/back suspension set-up or use it without modifications..well a little bit to lower the ride stance if you like it a little lower like I did in mine....it will fit perfectly in the Mirada/Imperial bodies.

[Plasticfanatic]

I worked at Dodge Motorsports at the Chrysler Engineering Center from 1966 to 2007 in the race engine development area. We used to send Buddy some of our extra engine parts now and then to help him out. Spent a lot of time with his son Joey Arrington at his shop in Martinsville, Virginia from 2001 till I retired in 2007 doing engine development for the Cup and Truck cars.Here is a picture taken at Arrington's shop. I am second from the right next to Richard, Joey is second from the left. The rest are my co- workers from Dodge Motorsports.

 

Those are some great memories!!! Thanks for sharring. Is great hearing and getting the information from the people involved in these racing programs and all the details that can help us create more accurate replicas of of favorite drivers rides.