THE STANLEY Tools Ford Fusion that Marcos Ambrose used to claim his first NASCAR Cup Series win in 2011 at Watkins Glen has arrived in Australia.
The car recently cleared customs and V8 Sleuth has the first photos of this piece of racing history being unloaded from its container today.
It’s been secured by a private collector who engaged Petty’s Garage in Randleman, North Carolina, to restore it to its Ambrose #9 Stanley Tools Watkins Glen-winning livery and spec.
The restoration has taken two years and the car’s arrival in Australia comes in the very same week that reigning Supercars Champion Shane van Gisbergen is set to make his NASCAR Cup Series debut in Chicago.
The ex-Ambrose car holds a special place in the history of NASCAR given Ambrose became the first Australian to win a race in the Cup Series when he drove it to victory at Watkins Glen in 2011 for Richard Petty Motorsports.
The same chassis was then driven by Ambrose to victory the following year at Watkins Glen in 2012, the Tasmanian scoring victory in a wild last lap after a battle with Brad Keselowski.
WATCH: AMBROSE WINS WATKINS GLEN, 2012:
The chassis was later converted into a Nationwide Series Mustang and driven by Ambrose to further wins in NASCAR’s second-tier series.
It had been sitting out the back of the Petty Museum in a container before the Australian-based private collector was connected to it, purchased it and engaged the Petty business to restore it to its former glory.
“I’ve got the full history on the chassis from Petty confirming chassis numbers and race history, setup information, race notes, all sorts!” the collector told V8 Sleuth today.
“The chassis was stripped right back and re-bodied back to a Fusion, it has a Roush engine rebuilt by them.
“The original engine block that Marcos used had been destroyed, but the carby and other elements of the original engine are there, they’re all correctly numbered. It’s built to the exact same spec of what Marcos raced at Watkins Glen.”
Ambrose’s last Cup Series race came in 2014 at Homestead-Miami before returning to Australia to take up an opportunity with DJR Team Penske in Supercars.
He now works with Garry Rogers Motorsport as Competition Director on its various racing programs.
