MONTEREY, Calif. (July 22, 2002) - Nearly 400 of some of the world's finest race and sports cars are set to rev their engines, rekindling memories of a bygone era for thousands of fans at the 29th annual Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races. Presented by Dodge on Aug. 16 - 18 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, the event is a living history museum for the venerable cars, and particularly for Corvette loyalists who will be there to celebrate the marque's 50th anniversary.

The largest number of cars ever fielded at the Rolex Monterey Historics includes 62 Corvettes that document the marque's racing roots from 1954 to 1969. The rarest of the rare are among them - three of the five Corvette Grand Sports that were built in 1963 - and Zora Arkus-Duntov's special race-prepared 310-horsepower 1956 Corvette SR-2 that was driven by Jim Jeffords.

Originally, 125 Grand Sports were planned for production. However, pressure mounted on companies using loopholes to circumvent the Automobile Manufacturers Association 1957 ban on racing. This prompted General Motors to issue a memo in 1963 reiterating their support of the AMA's position, thereby abruptly ending the Grand Sports program with only the five Grand Sports having been constructed.

As the weekend's featured marque, the colorful heritage of Corvette will be visible throughout, with Saturday's fifth and sixth race providing an exciting '50s and '60s déjà vu. The fifth race will feature 24 late '50s/early '60s Corvettes lining up against Aston Martins, Ferraris and Mercedes-Benzes, while the sixth race pits 15 mid '60s Corvettes with Cobras, Shelby GT-350s and Ferraris, among others. On Sunday, the mighty Corvette Grand Sports will take the green flag against other Vettes, Cobras 427s and Porsche 911s.

Corvette won't be the only big name at the Rolex Monterey Historics. Seasoned motorsports enthusiasts strolling through the open paddock will recognize nearly every make and model from the 400 entries. They'll all be represented with historically-significant cars, from Aston Martins, Alfa Romeos, Bugattis and Ferraris to Jaguars, Lotuses, Maseratis and Mercedes-Benzes. Yet, there will even be some cars that will have them scratching their heads.

Among the more obscure car names competing this year are the 1913 Deltal, 1920 Falls 8, 1954 Moretti SS, 1949 HRG, 1959 Berkeley B95, 1962 Sabra GT, 1958 Denzel and 1958 Echidna. As with all the cars entered, each one has impressive race history and a story to tell.

The racing weekend will conclude with a thunderous roar. Thirty-five historic Trans-Am cars that competed between 1966 and 1972 will have fans jumping to their feet when they rumble by at full throttle. Even today, the big American muscle cars of Mustangs, Camaros, Javelins, Challengers and Cougars barrel around the twisting 11-turn road course at an average speed of 75 mph. "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday," was the car companies' pledge.

Considered the Super Bowl of vintage racing, the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races provides visitors with an exciting, yet relaxed venue to get close to the cars. Guided paddock tours will help newcomers learn about some of the cars and give them an opportunity to meet the drivers who willingly describe the car's distinct heritage.

"The cars are always the stars at the Rolex Monterey Historics," explains Steven Earle, president of General Racing, Ltd. and event founder. "Unlike professional races, visitors are encouraged to get up close. It's a kinetic museum that can be enjoyed by people of all ages."

For additional information, log onto www.montereyhistoric.com, or contact Barry Toepke / Robert Meszaros, VL Communications, 714-825-1999 / 916-967-5575 or barry@vlcomm.com