McHENRY, Ill. – At the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo in Las Vegas, representatives from Brake Parts Inc. and Affinia Global Chassis, manufacturers of Raybestos brake and Raybestos chassis products, respectively, presented the keys to the winner of the 2014 Raybestos Rattlesnake Toyota Tundra. The truck’s new owner, Dave Cramer, is a property manager with Ross Pacific Management in Vancouver, Wash.
“To say I’m excited would be an understatement,” said Cramer. “I must have entered 10,000 contests in my lifetime, and this is the first time I won anything.” Cramer said he’s a bit of a car fanatic. “I’m single, but I own five cars!” The Raybestos Rattlesnake ups that to six. Cramer’s son Eric, a deputy sheriff and retired army ranger, joined him at the presentation.
The signature-edition truck was the grand prize in the brands’ 2013 North American summer sales promotion. The winning entry was pulled from more than 170,000 entries received.
“Presenting a vehicle this impressive is always exciting,” said Jeff Stauffer, senior vice president, Global Marketing, Brake Parts Inc. “We’re always happy to deliver our grand prize to someone who appreciates the effort and the engineering that goes into a custom build. Dave is going to be the envy of every truck enthusiast in Vancouver.”
Addictive Desert Designs customized the Raybestos Rattlesnake, which includes custom bumpers, side steps and chase rack. World-renowned tattoo artist, Corey Miller, gave the truck its custom wrap. A rattler with the flair of a Corey Miller tattoo is shown on both sides of the truck, and a signature “Raybestos Flying R” is emblazoned on the hood.
Thanks to Toyota Racing Development, a Toyota 5.7-Liter aluminum i-FORCE DOHC 32 valve V-8 with a tuned TRD Supercharger helps the Raybestos Rattlesnake reach 600+ hp. It also includes a high-lift off road suspension and off-road shocks.
Its stopping power comes from the same Raybestos short track racing brake package used by the Joe Gibbs Racing team, and the Raybestos Rattlesnake stretches its off-road muscle with Raybestos Professional Grade chassis parts.
Nicholas Jacquez, vice president of marketing and product development for Affinia Global Chassis said, “This was a true team effort. Individual artists, craftsman, engineers and marketers all came together to build an amazing truck and an equally dynamic marketing program. This shows what you can do when you give creative thinkers and builders free reign.”
“This was our very first custom truck build,” said Stauffer, “and we couldn’t have done such an incredible job without the proficiency and know-how of Toyota Racing Development.”
Stauffer told everyone in the audience he looks forward to announcing the grand prize vehicle for next year’s sweepstakes build. He hinted that the new custom build combines the iconic style of a classic muscle car with the jaw-dropping performance of a modern sports car.
During the sweepstakes, the interactive web site RaybestosGarage.com offered a behind-the-scenes view of the entire build process. Visitors got the inside scoop on everything from design inspiration, to chassis and suspension fabrication, engine tuning, brake package engineering, custom graphics and on-track testing.
Visit www.RaybestosGarage.com for more information on the 2014 Raybestos Rattlesnake Toyota Tundra or to view video of the build.
For questions regarding Raybestos brand brake products, visit RaybestosBrakes.com or call 800-323-0354.
For additional information on Raybestos chassis parts, visit www.RaybestosChassis.com or call 800-323-3022.
