Richard Petty, aka “The King,” is undoubtedly one of the pioneers of NASCAR. He was the first driver in history to rack up seven titles in an era infamous for deadly crashes. For an ardent NASCAR fan, his souvenirs and collectibles are a prized possession, and they would spend an arm and a leg to own one. So it wasn’t surprising when Petty’s blue convertible Challenger was on auction with fans upping the scale to a staggering $165,000.

The empire he and his late father, Lee Petty, built is as old as the sport itself – 75 years. Even to this day, the great one’s accolades and achievements stand tall despite the rising challenge from the young talents climbing up the ranks. Even years after he bid farewell to the sport the King still reigns supreme with the most number of career wins (200), most poles (123), the most number of wins in a single season (27), and the most consecutive wins (10) at the mecca of Stock Car racing, Daytona International Speedway.

The recent update about MECUM auctions was a prime example to highlight the veteran’s grip on the community, still being revered as the sport’s one true king.

Richard “The King” Petty flaunts his footing in NASCAR by selling a valuable memorabilia

It’s not a daylight robbery when something is worth the price. Maybe that’s why when Petty’s 2009 one-of-one Dodge Challenger was on auction, the price climbed steeply. The exclusive Petty’s garage Challenger was put on sale to commemorate his family’s 75th anniversary in racing. The car was a convertible with Petty’s face and his iconic #43 car plastered on the sides with a special livery, making its exorbitant price tag justifiable.

With the legend himself coming down to the Mecum Auctions block, buyers did not care if it was a custom convertible and not a factory piece. Souped up and tuned to perfection by the racer’s own mechanics, the car’s exclusivity and ‘owner record’ made it super special for the buyer.

To up the ante, Petty even gave away his iconic cowboy hat to the highest bidder, making it a double delight for the buyer. Now for the ones who are concerned about the car’s specifications, it’s a 2009 convertible with a six-speed manual gearbox, churning out over 640 horsepower to propel the coupe.

WATCH THIS STORY: Relive 1981’s iconic moment when Richard “The King” Petty handed over his #43 legacy to son Kyle 

The Birth of an icon – Legendary Petty-Blue livery

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The sport’s first ever 7-time champion had an aura unlike any other racers. During the height of his career, Petty and his blue #43 racecars were revered as a status symbol, one that resonated with America’s working-class people, symbolizing the veteran’s unwavering spirit and indomitable will.  But did you know that the iconic Petty-Blue paint scheme was pretty much an accident?

As the legend himself reveals, “Petty-Blue came out of the early 60s or somewhere along that.” Building the car, and tweaking it to perfection, the build was complete if not for the final coat of paint. “Two or three o’clock in the morning had to go to the race that day, coming up and the car hadn’t been painted there’s all different colors so we took the down going to paint the thing we didn’t have enough paint of any one color, we had maybe a quarter of White and a quarter of Blue paint and we didn’t want to tape it off and didn’t have the time to tape it all make it through, just poured the both of them in there and it came out to be the color.” 

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That’s how one of motorsport’s most iconic livery was born from a petty accident in Petty’s race shop to an icon of the NASCAR.