True Love Hurts

True Love Hurts

SunStar Russ Truelove
1956 Mercury stock car
1:18 | $95

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Russ Truelove had made two (count ’em, two) payments on his brand new 1956 Mercury Montclair when he entered it into the 1956 Daytona 500, and before he got to mail the next coupon, he’d run out onto the sand at well over 100mph and flipped, rolled, and crunched the car in front of a horrified crowd. Truelove emerged from the wreck only a little worse for wear, but the car … ouch. Sunstar’s model of Truelove’s stocker was actually patterned after the mostly restored rac- er; this deco’d early sample is nicely done. Based on Sunstar’s Platinum Collection 1956 Merc, it features the same opening doors, hood, and trunk, steerable wheels, and working suspension. In addition to the tilting visors and seats, the car also has a working glove box and a few of the race day tweaks that Truelove’s ill-fated FoMoCo bruiser wore that day on the sand. We loved the race day graphics done in hi-res tampos and the roll bar and “steelies” all around. Other details like the stock motor, the chromed side-dump exhaust, and the spare-equipped trunk may, or may not, be changed before production, but the overall feel and display of this one is outrageously good. We hope this signifies the beginning of more “true” stock cars from this maker. Shiny side up, please. – Joe Kelly, Jr.

Updated: July 22, 2014 — 3:54 PM
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