Dan Gurney is one of those American racers who needs no introduction. As a man who often represented the Red/White/Blue in foreign lands, Gurney didn’t need to project affectations to show he was a prince on the racetrack. Now, 63 years after he raced a 1961 Chevrolet Impala against puny Euro saloons, Gurney’s Chevrolet will return to the racetrack and pace the Dan Gurney Saloon Car Trophy race at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion in August 2025.

Any 1961 Impala SS is special. Only 453 were built among several body styles, including four-doors. Nineteen sixty-one also was the debut of the 409, of which only 142 were built due to its late introduction. Gurney spec’d his Impala with police-spec 15-inch wheels and suspension components, which included stiffer springs, heavier shocks, a beefier sway bar, sintered-metallic brakes, according to historian Drew Hardin. His crew added a Corvette rear sway bar, homemade cooling ducts, and a power steering box to give 3.5 turns lock-to-lock. Gurney took the Bow Tie to Riverside Raceway and promptly set a record—faster than the Corvette that previously held it.

Then, Gurney took the Chevy to Silverstone in the UK to go hunting for Jaguars. He was leading until a wheel broke two laps before victory. With the car fixed, Gurney entered it in another competition, but he was told it didn’t meet FIA homologation requirements. “Dad wasn’t very happy with the ban prior to the second race and tried to argue his case, but in the end realized he couldn’t fight city hall and sold it on the spot,” says his son Justin. Gurney subsequently sold the car to an Australian.

The Super Sport has been overseas for decades but, recently, Justin has been able to acquire the ol’ bubbletop. “My dad loved this car and always talked about it,” he adds. “It was an emotional experience to sit on the bench seat and take hold of the steering wheel. It even has the original AM radio that dad kept intact, although this car is so loud there is no way you could hear music!”

Justin is stoked to bring the Impala to the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on August 13-16, 2025. “I’m not going to race the car, but to participate as the pace car in the Dan Gurney Saloon Car Trophy races is going to be both exciting and sentimental,” he explained. “When unmuffled like it will be, the deep guttural 409 big-block engine should turn quite a few heads to say the least.” To bear witness to that and over 400 historic race cars competing against each other, visit WeatherTechRaceway.com to learn more.