Over the years we’ve seen more than a few actors who have taken their fortune and gone racing. Some of them were even pretty good at it. Guys like James Garner, Steve McQueen and new school guys like Patrick Dempsey have all been regarded as talented racers. Possibly the most successful of the bunch was none other than Paul Newman, who raced for decades, right up into his Eighties. Racing under the name PLN, Newman scored wins in both IMSA and Trans-Am racing.

Using his home track, Lime Rock Park, as a base, Newman raced this Riley & Scott Corvette Trans Am car from 2003 onwards, scoring his final win a year to the day before his death. Think about that, in 2007 at age 82, Newman won a GT1 race behind the wheel of a 700 horsepower TA car! This was that car.

It was in this car that Paul Newman took his final laps of Lime Rock, at 83 years of age, just one month before passing away from cancer.

The car was offered up for auction at Amelia Island recently by Canadian auction house, RM Auctions. When the bidding came to a close, the final sale was made for $275,000.

Head past the jump to read the full press release and catch a glimpse of the freshly restored #83.

[Read more...]