“I’m not a speed demon, I just like to cruise,” said Mark R., winner of the Gear Up Sweepstakes. But that may change now that he is the owner of the completely customized, 707-horsepower HellScout.
Earlier this year, the 1979 International Scout II was torn apart, slammed and rebuilt as a one of a kind hot rod by the team at Gas Monkey Garage. Then, we revealed it piece by piece, until we were able to officially announce it as the grand prize of our Gear Up Sweepstakes.
From the sweepstakes launch on Aug. 1, to the final spin on Nov. 9, we received 2.5 million entries to win the HellScout. 787 of them were from Mark.
The 51-year-old pipefitter is a self-taught DIYer, who first began working on bikes and cars with his grandfather years ago. Although his dream car is a Mustang Mach I, he’s always been fascinated by vintage pickup trucks from the 1940s to the 1970s. In past years, he had even looked into getting an older truck to fix up.
Mark also loves to watch car rebuild shows and collector car auctions. In fact, he first saw the HellScout on TV during its extensive rebuild. He said he felt drawn to the car, and when he visited the TA location in Janesville, Wisconsin and saw that it was the grand prize of the Gear Up sweepstakes, he had a gut feeling it may someday end up in his garage.
Mark was elated when he got the good news. On Dec. 13, Mark and his wife packed their bags and headed down to Gas Monkey Garage in Dallas, Texas to see his new car in person for the very first time.
After a tour of the shop and a meet and greet with the Monkeys, Mark confirmed arrangements to bring the HellScout to his Chicago-area home. Although the temperatures are falling and the snow will soon fly, Mark is already looking forward to summertime cruising in his new HellScout. And yes, we’re sure his route will include a stop at a TA, Petro or TA Express.