Racing-Custom-Antiques
National CARSTAR SuperStang Muscle Tour to Kick-off in Las Vegas
By goHTSN Staff
Jul 10, 2007, 09:49

Las Vegas, NV – July 10, 2007 – CARSTAR Franchise Systems Inc., the largest group of collision repair stores in North America, will pit stop its re-creation of a legendary 1967 prototype Mustang at the CARSTAR National Conference in Las Vegas. The official kick-off event is the start of an 18-month fundraising tour to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“We are deeply gratified to take this extraordinary automobile on the road to raise both awareness and donations for the Make-A-Wish Foundation,” said Dick Cross, chairman and CEO of CARSTAR Franchise Systems Inc. “The Make-A-Wish Foundation enriches the lives of thousands of children with challenging medical conditions each year and our hope is that the funds we raise on this tour will help make dreams come true for these deserving children and their families.”

The CARSTAR SuperStang Muscle Tour is expected to make approximately 40 appearances at Make-A-Wish® fundraising events and high-profile car collector events in conjunction with local CARSTAR collision repair golf tournaments, car shows and cruise events. The tour will end with the sale of the CARSTAR SuperStang at an auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., in January 2009, with proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

With support from Jeff Yergovich, owner of R&A Motorsports, the country’s leading restorer of Shelby Mustangs, CARSTAR in Riverside, Kan., re-created the experimental car, originally produced by the Ford Motor Company in 1967. The prototype, never offered for production, featured Carroll Shelby-modified Mustang chassis, suspensions and bodies with big block motors delivering more than 400 horsepower. The renovated vehicle carries the Wimbleton white and blue stripe livery of the original vehicle and is authentic down to the paint drips and over-sprays on the chassis and undercarriages of the original cars.

“It is an honor to be the beneficiary of the SuperStang Muscle Tour,” said David Williams, Make-A-Wish Foundation of America president and chief executive officer. “CARSTAR’s support will help make it possible to grant the wishes of even more courageous children, bringing hope, strength and joy to them and their families.”

CARSTAR will use this opportunity to help the Make-A-Wish Foundation celebrate Destination Joy presented by Lays®. This campaign is designed to inspire and empower Americans to share their much-needed time, talents and resources to grant the wishes of the 100,000 children who will be diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions over the next four years. In support of Destination Joy, participating CARSTAR Collision Repair shops will give away Make-A-Wish magnetic metallic stars to customers for their support.

“The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants more than 12,000 wish-of-a-lifetime experiences a year to special children,” added Cross. “We felt that the organization was a perfect beneficiary of CARSTAR’s inaugural national fundraising tour because the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s ethic of service aligns with our own, and because the Make-A-Wish Foundation uses automobile experiences in many of the wish experiences it offers children. We hope our contributions from the tour will result in many wishes for Make-A-Wish children and their families across the nation.”

Ford Motor Company has donated a 2008 F-350 tow vehicle to the tour.

For images of the vehicle and a list of tour dates and stops, visit www.carstarSuperStang.com.

About CARSTAR
Headquartered in Overland Park, Kan., CARSTAR is the largest group of auto body repair shops in North America. The privately held company currently has more than 270 locations in 27 U.S. states and 110 Canadian locations. Since it was founded in 1989, CARSTAR has performed more than 2 million repairs with an average customer satisfaction rating of 96.6 percent or better. For more information, visit www.carstar.com.

About the Make-A-Wish Foundation
The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Born in 1980 when a group of caring people helped a young boy fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, the Foundation is now the largest wish-granting charity in the world, with 69 chapters in the United States and its territories. With the help of generous donors and nearly 25,000 volunteers, the Make-A-Wish Foundation grants more than 12,600 wishes a year and has granted more than 150,000 wishes in the U.S. since its inception. For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit www.wish.org and discover how you can share the power of a wish®.