July 17, 2007 – Ft. Worth, TX – From 1963 until 1981,
Don Edmunds enjoyed a storied career building racecars. When he decided to “wind down,” he turned his attention to building model cars, and today has built close to 100 gas powered and
scale models. Of those cars, only one – the
Gilmore Speedway Special – holds the distinction of being the only one of its kind ever completed. And the only place to see this one-of-a-kind vehicle is at
DFW Toy Museum.com.
“I started building a four-cylinder engine, and when I was done with that, I started building a car around it,” recalls
Edmunds. “It’s the first model I ever built, and it took me about eight years to finish it because I kept building other models. I’d just work on it off and on from time to time.”
By the time he completed the two-tone car, he had built several other models and, in the process, discovered several things that he wished he’d done differently. After a persistent buyer wore him down, he finally sold the original and began building another one. But to this day, the second
Gilmore Speedway Special has never been completed and it sits unpainted in his workshop.
“
The Speedway Special is the only one-off model that I’ve ever built,” he says. “I built a couple more that were similar, but not exactly like that car. The reason I build these cars is because I want them, not because I want to sell or trade them, so I always make at least two models of every car – except that one.”
Auto enthusiast and toy car collector
Ron Sturgeon, who was fascinated by the car’s attention to detail, purchased the car at an auction in 1998. Valued at $20,000, today the model is one of more than 3,000 rare toys and models in his
DFW Toy Museum.
“I was intrigued by the fact that it was so small and had an operating overhead four-cylinder engine,”
Sturgeon says. “Everything on that car was made by hand by one of the most illustrious racecar builders in America.”
The Speedway Special is one of three models built by Edmunds that can be seen at
DFW Toy Museum.com. The museum’s extensive collection is divided into categories that, together, create an astounding exhibition for car buffs to behold.
Rare tin cars,
radio-controlled Ľ-scale models,
Tippco memorabilia and several
large-scale models that were used for instruction in driving schools and date all the way back to the 1930s are included in this one-of-a-kind automotive-themed museum. In addition to the replicas, the museum also has
rare automotive memorabilia.
Best of all, the museum is housed inside
DFW Elite Auto Rental, so car enthusiasts can also enjoy gazing at a fleet of more than 60 exotic automobiles during their visit.
The
DFW Toy Museum is located inside
DFW Elite Auto Rental at 5940 Eden in
Fort Worth. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with weekend hours by appointment. In Fort Worth, call 817.838. RENT (7368); in
Dallas call 214.247.4700. For more information, visit them online at
www.DFWEliteAutoRental.com.
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