AN iconic race car has been sold to a new owner, but it will not leave the town where it has deep historical significance.
Pete's Patriot is an AMC-brand vehicle which was used for drag racing starting in the late 1960s.
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A dealership in Kearney, Nebraska – about 200miles west of Omaha – bought the vehicle and sponsored a racing team to drive it as a form of advertisement.
But instead of hiring a professional pit crew to maintain the car, the dealership hired a group of teenagers from Kearney High School.
Ron Hendrickson joined the pit crew in 1968.
"It was a no-brainer," he told KHGI, a local ABC affiliate, in 2021.
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"We all liked cars. We didn’t care what they were."
Back then, Henrickson said he was excited to be working on a new car for the first time.
Despite their modest roots, the team went on to have success regionally and nationwide.
That's why in 1969 AMC sent them a new Super Stock pro drag racing car.
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This 1969 AMX drag racer was one of 130 displayed at the Bernie and Janice Talborg Classic Car Collection in Kearney for the past 12years.
But this week, it was announced that the legendary race car had been auctioned off for $171,000, the Kearney Hub reported.
"The owner is not verified, but Pete’s Patriot will remain in Kearney," Brad Kernick, a car enthusiast and supporter of the collection, told the outlet.
"I’m just ecstatic that it’s going to stay here."
The other cars in the collectionwere also sold, according to Steven Nelson, a representative from Steffes Group Auctioneers which handled the transactions.
But he wouldn't share how much they got for the entire fleet.
"We had more than 700 registered bidders from all over the world," Nelson said.
That included bidders from Australia, France, England, and Canada.
