CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A humble showroom and a parts desk greet visitors when they walk into the U.S. Legend Cars International headquarters in Harrisburg. The real show is around a bend, up some metal stairs to a platform where the heart of the enterprise — making reduced-scale race cars — spreads across much of the 68,000-square-foot building.
[ ALSO READ: How the exclusive Speedway Club puts posh atmosphere on fast track ]
Take a look around and you’ll see stacked steel rods, as well as stations where that steel is cut, bent and welded to make the car skeletons known as chassis. There is a station for putting the bodies on the frames, for custom paint jobs and, most importantly, for sealing and installing engines so the cars are evenly matched when they hit the track.
It takes 30 hours, or about a day-and-a-half, to build a Legend car, which can take on several body types and hit speeds of 70 to 120 miles per hour. Legend also produces a Thunder Roadster, which has a similar speed range, and the Bandolero for younger drivers that runs 40 to 70 miles per hour. By comparison, NASCAR drivers hit speeds of 180 to 200 miles per hour during races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Legend cars race on shorter tracks and run on dirt, asphalt and road courses.
This browser does not support the video element.
And, while the cars appeal primarily to hobbyists, they also have become a developmental tool and series for young drivers. Retired and current NASCAR drivers who drove as kids or teens in Legend or Bandolero cars include Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joey Logano, Kurt and Kyle Busch, Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott.
Read the full story here for an in-depth look at the operation, including photos inside the facility.