310.498.4578

MONROVIA, Calif. (Oct. 18, 2010) 　— Mosher’s Muscle Car Motors is pleased to announce the inclusion of the world famed 1963 drag racing champion, The Melrose Missile III, as one of the key museum pieces included in Los Angeles’8 Peterson Automotive Museum’s “NHRA: Sixty Years of Thunder”; a tribute to the great historical drag racing cars that defined America’s drag racing culture. On November 1^st, The Melrose Missile III moves from it’s current home at the National Hot Rod Association Museum to the Peterson Automotive Museum for exhibit running from Nov. 1, 2010 to May 29^th, 2011. (6060 Wilshire Boulevard at Fairfax in Los Angeles)
　
In 1963, Plymouth’s Melrose Missile III, driven by Tom Grove, hammered the competition winning the NHRA Super Stock Winternationals championship, the most coveted drag racing cup of the year with an elapsed time record of 12.37 seconds at 114.94 mph in the quarter mile. By the summer of 1964 the Melrose Missile set the NHRA Super Stock drag racing record running a 12 second, 118.26 mph quarter mile at California’s Half Moon Bay drags. Super Stock races were especially popular with racing fans of the day given that these cars were modified versions of street legal cars available to the public. The key to the Melrose Missile’s success was the combination of the powerful 426 Max Wedge engine set inside an aluminum front end; the brain child of Charlie Di Bari who’s father owned Melrose Motors, a Plymouth dealership in Oakland, CA and the tuning and driving abilities of Tom Grove, Melrose Motor’s top mechanic.

In 1990, Bob Mosher of Mosher’s Muscle Car Motors acquired the car in less than stellar condition and methodically restored this historical beauty back to the luster of it’s early racing days. “I am very glad to see that the Melrose Missile III car is being included in the Peterson Museums tribute to 60 years of drag racing. This car set more than 26 drag strip records and won it’s class at the 63 Winternationals at Pomona 47 years ago, and I hope this exposes the car to a new audience.” says Mosher. Bob was fortunate to find and restore this car many years ago when it was not considered all that valuable, but these cars are history dating back to a far simpler time. The Missile was one of Bob’s early restorations, however Mosher’s Muscle Car Motors is still going strong restoring Mopar Super Stocks for clients all over the United States, and Canada.

About The National Hot Rod Association: Nestled in the quiet community of Glendora, Calif., just minutes east of downtown Los Angeles, is the world's largest and loudest auto racing organization, the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). Since it was founded by Wally Parks in 1951, NHRA has been dedicated to safety while providing millions of racing fans with The Extreme Motorsport: the fastest and most spectacular form of entertainment on wheels.

With 80,000 members and more than 35,000 licensed competitors, NHRA is a thriving leader in the world of motorsports. Parks initially started NHRA as a means of getting hot rodders off the streets and on to legal drag strips. Since those early days, NHRA has evolved into the largest promoter of professional drag racing in the world. Today, with more than 300 dedicated employees, NHRA offers drag racing opportunities for hot rod enthusiasts of all levels, from kids ages 8-17 in the NHRA Jr. Drag Racing League all the way up to the top of the Professional ranks with the organization's NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. For more information, visit www.nhra.com.