Junior Johnson's “Mystery Motor” 1963 Impala SS race car:
Robert Glenn Johnson, Jr. was a NASCAR driver of some skill, and allegedly a runner of moonshine that helped him hone his fast driving prowess. He was immortalized in the 1973 film, The Last American Hero, which based the character of “Junior Jackson” on him and was played by Jeff Bridges. The script was adapted from a short story by Tom Wolfe that appeared in Esquire magazine in 1965. The real life Junior piloted a very fast 1963 Impala SS equipped with a rare 427 ci Mk II engine of which it is said only 50 were built and some account have that as low as 18 units. Chevrolet stopped their factory race support and owners of the rare engines were left to fend for themselves. The elusive “Mystery Motor” name came about as its performance eclipsed many that year since it recorded seven wins, nine pole positions, 13 top 5 finishes, and 14 top 10s all in the 33 races in the 1963 season. In 1964 Chevrolet got back into racing and with the new Mk IV 427, the 650 hp Mk II was ineligible in NASCAR which reduced Johnson’s wins to less than half. In 2012 the famous race car was up for sale by RK Motors based in Charlotte, NC as the original motor was found literally in a barn prior to its freshening up to “as raced” condition, dents, scuffs and period correct decals making this time capsule a unique rarity.
