The "Intimidator" above left and the..............................................."Imitator" above right!
DALE EARNHARDT WAS THE INTIMIDATOR.....MY CAR IS MUCH LESS..
It is best described as the IMITATOR!
This car is dedicated to the legacy of the late Dale Earnhardt. It features my street legal 1998 Monte finished with NASCAR inspired ground effects/body work and an accurate paint and decal package unique to the Richard Childress Racing Monte Carlos campaigned from 95-99 with RCR . RK Sport created the ground effects package with the NASCAR fan in mind.
As in NASCAR the aerodynamics dictated that the front air dam and side valences be very clean and deep in design to stop air from getting under the car...one problem..... clearance is nil and I end up dodging a lot of stuff I used to have no problem clearing....makes me look DWI to any already suspicious cops! At this point the side and rear fascia have not been mounted yet. And..................
This car is not just a show queen....further on you will see it in action racing during an SCCA autocross event. Below is a dealership promo photo of a 1998 Z-34, black on black Monte as mine looked fresh out of the dealership lot. Below to the right of the dealer promo pic is a shot of the finshed body kit on another Monte. This gives you an idea of the clean design, a departure from all the gills, grooves and vanes found with other manufacturers. I added a 4 inch valence to capture the depth of the NASCAR air dam as well as some grill work found on the NASCAR Montes.
Above left is the Goodwrench Monte Carlo as it appeared during the 96 season with Earnhardt behind the wheel. This livery is the one I am trying to reproduce with my street Monte as seen directly to the right.
This car resembles the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) Montes' including such details as imitation roof flaps, rivet detail, roof rails, rear/front window braces, rear window rail,rear spoiler, air dam, side skirts (not yet mounted) and of course a 99% accurate decal/paint scheme for #3. Notice the grill work in the following photo. I had not yet fabricated the grill in the second photo down. It makes a big difference in appearance. The penalty was cooling. Because I extended the RK piece by 4 inches, it eclipsed the stock chin spoiler making the car run nearly 30 degrees hotter (degrees celsius) I also disconnected one of the two cooling fans from the computer and wired it directly to the cockpit where I could turn it on whenever I needed instead of it only kicking in when the thermostat trips them.
It is interesting to note that as late as 2002, the street Monte and NASCAR Monte closely resembled one another. This is no longer the case as the racing cousins of the street versions have been stretched and tweaked to fit a common template mandated by NASCAR. The head light decals, hood, roof and rear deck are all that is left of the street version. You will see this further on the site. Of course, a transverse mounted v-8 and chassis are no where near what is run in NASCAR.
This Monte was purchased new in July of '98 only months after Earnhardt won his first "500". I have redone this page having initially posted it 2 years ago . At any rate, after his death in 2001 I decided to upgrade the small #3's I had sported on the car prior to his accident...one in each of the quarter windows to.... something a little more high profile!
After 3 tries at decaling (you will see the first two attempts), I found a master decal man whom also shared a passion for Earnhardt's accomplishments and hired him to help me create a 1/1 scale version of the car/body style that Childress Racing campaigned from 1995-1998.
The car's purpose is primarily that of a "show car" however I have had success racing it in the SCCA's Solo I events up here in Canada. I show it in nearly 20 shows a summer and it is a veteran of the World of Wheels circuit sponsored by ISCA (International Show Car Association). There are a few pics of it in action further on. I have had some success with it on the track but the real fun is doing the car show circuit and meeting other NASCAR fans that share the passion for Earnhardt or other NASCAR drivers.
A true Earnhardt fan approached me at a car show and commented.... "the car is close, but lacks something." When I asked what. He commented ...." a doughnut, a rub mark gained while trading paint!" He was right...my decal man made this one to complete the look!
Foxy!!!!! Sad news, on Sept 28 while driving ole #3 on the freeway a young fox decided to race the Immitator and lost. I am fan of our wildlife up here in Canada so I regretted taking its life. It got hung up in the grill work pulling the air dam off the car but not to the point of anything dragging. When I pulled over the fox had died, (it was turned over to the Fish and Game Department)...I had to remove the air dam where it will be rebuilt over the winter.... no damage to the RK Sport piece, just my work....stay tuned.
Considering today's date (Feb15./07)....thought I would add a picture of a 1/24th scale Earnhardt Car from the late '90's.....this from one of Germany's biggest fans...check out his site.... it is an awesome archive of everything Earnhardt.
