Grove Boys Willys

Ron Normann has owned some incredibly rare muscle cars, including Don Yenko’s personal (serial #1) ‘69 Camaro. In fact, Ron has made his living for the past 20 years by buying and selling Yenko & COPO vehicles and parts out of his business, McHenry Classic Car Parts, in Hebron, Illinois. So, with having owned some of the rarest muscle cars ever produced, one might wonder what it takes to still get Ron’s heart rate up. The answer: early Willys drag cars. Ron, however, is not seeking out just any old Willys, but specifically cars with strong race pedigrees. Ron has already added a handful of incredible race cars to his stable, but when he caught wind of the discovery of the Grove Boys ‘40 coupe, his mind was set to owning it. But before we get to that, let’s take a look back at this historical race car’s early years.

The gorgeous coupe you see gracing these pages began its transformation into an A/Gas legend after being purchased by Jim and Jerry Grove for the price of $50 from a little old lady in 1956. The 394 Olds powered, all steel coupe did not make its debut at the race track until four years later, in 1960, wearing the title “Grove Brothers.” The history of the race team, as it is most known, didn’t begin until 1966, when cousin Roger “J.R.” joined the team. The Olds was replaced with a 427 Chevy, and the all steel body received a serious make over with lightweight fiberglass components. Cousin J.R. then shot the lightened body in coats of star mist candy apple blue, and a new logo of “Grove Boys” was applied.

Read the rest of this article in Issue #42 John D’Agostino’s Pantheon