Roland Connors and son Darren had an interest in restoring an old race car - preferably one they had seen race at any one of the Maine race tracks they had attended as race fans. In December of 2002 on a visit to the home of race driver Steve Nelson to look at another old race car, the Connors stumbled upon the remains of Stan Meserve's popular blue and gold #1 Chevelle. This was the car Roland and Darren wanted to "bring back to life". Below is how they did it in their own words.
 

Here's what is left off the original Stan Meserve '65 Chevelle Late Model Sportsman. The right front fender is closest to the camera.

We salvaged trinkets off the original car - small chrome letters that say "CHEVROLET" across the front off the hood and across the back of the trunk lid,the right rear rub rail and some other small items. The roll cage and suspension parts had been removed many years before. 

Here is another picture of the original Stan Meserve Chevelle with the left rear quarter panel closest to the camera.

This was the later paint scheme which differs from our paint scheme. Our paint scheme is the first one he had in 1971 which we liked more. (December 2002)

We found a Late Model racing chassis in a potato barn in Caribou where it sat since 1987. The object on the top of the car is a big house window.

The rearend in this chassis had to be moved back 8 inches to match the wheelbase of the '65 Chevelle body. (November 2002)

We are on the way home with the chassis.

The chassis was built in 1983 and raced at Spud Speedway in Caribou (Maine) until 1987. The original body on the chassis was a Chevrolet Nova. (November 2002)

Here is the Chevelle coupe that we went to Lebanon (Maine) and got.

We needed this car only for the shell (body). (January 2003)

The car is starting to shape up.

There are no rub rails on the driver's side yet in this photo. (April 2003)

Getting ready for paint. (May 2003)

The blue and gold paint is on. (May 2003)

Stan's Chevelle had the chrome roof rail on it, the windshield chrome and a lot of chrome across the back of the trunk lid.

We did the same. (June 2003)

Here is how the Chevelle looks today.

The only thing missing on the outside of the car in this photo are the hood pins. (June 2003)

All the lettering has been done by free hand (Darren) as it was in the early 1970's. Vinyl was not used for graphics at that time.

The Chevelle is powered by a 1969 350 cubic inch motor bored .40 over and equipped with up and over headers. This car is not the original but it is as close as anyone is going to get to the original Stan Meserve Chevelle.
Back on the track.

Roland Connors takes the Chevelle around Beech Ridge Motor Speedway at the SUMMERFEST 2005 Cookout & Vintage Celebration.

A photograph of Stan Meserve in the Chevelle taken about 1971 at Wiscasset Speedway.

We made the number "1" on our car bigger than Stan had his number. We think the number looked better bigger. In Stan's later paint schemes, he made the number bigger, too.
Not only was this project completed by the Connors in six months time, but father and son live about a state apart. Roland, who is retired, lives in northern Maine while son Darren lives in southern Maine in the Portland area.