Winners Of The Raybestos ’64 GTO-R Take Ownership On Power Tour

s, were in attendance to deliver the company’s 1964 GTO-R promotional project build to its prize winners - Nina and Mike Murray from Flesherton, Ontario, Canada. The Murrays' winning entry was pulled from more than the nearly 60,000 unique entries received as part of the brand's Summer 2011 North American sales promotion.

To kick off the annual HOT ROD magazine Power Tour, representatives from Affinia Global Brake & Chassis, manufacturers of Raybestos Brakes & Chassis products, were in attendance to deliver the company’s 1964 GTO-R promotional project build to its prize winners – Nina and Mike Murray from Flesherton, Ontario, Canada. The Murrays’ winning entry was pulled from more than the nearly 60,000 unique entries received as part of the brand’s Summer 2011 North American sales promotion.

“We’re thrilled to be presenting the GTO-R to Nina and Mike here in Detroit, at the drivers meeting to kick off the HOT ROD Power Tour,” said Georgianne Dickey, Raybestos brand manager. “This serves as proof positive that our customers, and serious car enthusiasts, really do win – and drive – these amazing Raybestos giveaway cars!”

The Raybestos ’64 GTO-R was built by Hot Rod Chassis & Cycle (Addison, Ill.) to handle racetrack duty like no other mid-1960s muscle car. While retaining a vintage outwardly appearance, its suspension was entirely re-imagined, with nearly 800 pounds of weight eliminated. It was then equipped with a 700 horsepower GM LSX 454 engine, Tremec T56 6-speed transmission and Raybestos NASCAR-spec racing brakes. Since its completion, the car has become a star in its own right – having been featured in television programs, magazine feature articles, countless enthusiast websites and several high-profile car shows.

The Murrays say they look forward to driving the GTO-R throughout the summer, sharing their new muscle car with many excited friends in their hometown. On the morning they accepted the keys to the car in Detroit, new owner Mike Murray shared his plans to take the GTO-R to his local drag strip – which quickly brought smiles to the faces of the teams from Raybestos and Hot Rod Chassis & Cycle.

During the sweepstakes, the interactive web site RaybestosGarage.com offered a behind-the-scenes view of the entire build process. Visitors got the inside scoop on everything from design inspiration, to chassis and suspension fabrication, engine tuning, brake package engineering, custom paint and on-track testing.

Also on display at the event was the new Raybestos promotional giveaway vehicle for this summer, the Raybestos 2013 ROUSH Stage 3 Mustang – a collaboration with Raybestos partners ROUSH Performance & NASCAR’s Roush Fenway Racing. A monster on the street, it is motivated by a ROUSH-charged and intercooled 5.0L 4-valve DOHC TiVCT powerplant, delivering 580 rear-wheel horsepower. Race-ready stopping power is delivered by the huge Raybestos “Generation 2” NASCAR-spec short track and road course brake package specially adapted to fit the Mustang – the very same Raybestos brakes equipped on Roush Fenway’s Sprint Cup cars in NASCAR competition.

For more information on the Raybestos GTO-R, or the new 2013 Raybestos ROUSH Mustang giveaway promotion, visit www.RaybestosGarage.com.

When Your Shop Is Worth Much More Than You Thought

Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.

Case Study: Owner of San Francisco-based Import Service Shop Delighted to Discover Just How Valuable His Business is to Qualified Buyers
I sometimes share case studies of the clients I have been able to assist in my role as an aftermarket business broker and provider of intermediary and advisory services. I do that when I think the story will provide a reader in similar circumstances with new insights or helpful information.
In the case of Cowden Automotive, Inc., I acted in a consulting capacity assisting the owner and his broker in valuing the business, creating a marketing plan, finding a qualified buyer, and arranging financing for the sale.
Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.
Needless to say, delivering that kind of good news to a shop owner is a rewarding experience. Discovering that the sale of his business would result in his retirement nest-egg being substantially larger than he had ever thought was a fitting tribute to someone who had spent his entire working career as a busy automotive service shop owner.

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