Not even the gray skies of a rainy fall afternoon at Charlotte Motor Speedway could dampen the spirits of Tim Coley, of Albemarle, North Carolina, whose bright yellow 1956 Chevrolet 210 took home the coveted Best of Show award on the final day of AutoFair.
The immaculately restored machine bested a field of 40 candy-colored cruisers representing the very best of what AutoFair had to offer. The 40 finalists were judged by a panel of auto enthusiasts, including well-known Barrett Jackson commentator and NASCAR on FOX announcer Mike Joy, who poured over every detail to determine the show's very best automobile.
Coley has spent more than a year and a half restoring the classic Chevrolet, which he said has a lot of sentimental value.
"I had a '56 Chevrolet when I was 16 years old," Coley said. "I've always liked the '56. I've had a bunch of them over the years."
For as long as he's owned similar cars, when it came to customizing this particular vehicle, Coley there were a lot of details to consider. From the mirror-like chrome bumpers to the tidy interior, this prize piece is a work of art. But the car's bright yellow exterior - easily its most eye-catching feature - almost didn't happen, Coley said.
"Everybody told me, 'paint this one yellow; you ought to paint this one yellow,'" Coley recalled. "Everybody knows my color is red. The day my buddy was going to paint it, he called me on the phone and said, 'are we going yellow or red.' I said yellow, and that's what we did. I'm really proud of how it turned out."
David and Diane McSwain of Gastonia, North Carolina won first runner up with their 1970 Chevrolet Camaro SS, while Charlotte resident Cleet Drayton's 1963 Chevrolet Nova earned the nod for second runner up. Steve Walters II, of Hickory, North Carolina, received an honorable mention (and tickets to the upcoming Bank of America 500 NASCAR race at Charlotte Motor Speedway) for his tricked out 1964 Chevrolet Impala. The following specialty awards were also presented during Sunday's Best of Show presentation:
Best Paint: John Justice's 1970 Dodge Challenger
Most Creative: Jeff VanAuken's 2012 45th Anniversary Edition Chevrolet Camaro SS
Ladies' Choice: Bill Phillips' Super Lite Coupe
Best Restoration by Owner: Dwight Bower's 1964 Chevrolet Impala SS
Most Original: Lee Caplan's 1974 VW Type 181
Up next at Charlotte Motor Speedway, fans can catch all the action surrounding the only Saturday night race in the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, including Bojangles' Pole Night on Oct. 8, the NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina on Oct. 9 and the Bank of America 500 on Oct. 10 with weekend packages starting at just $99.
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