WINDER, Ga. — An old racecar carries legacy for a Winder family nearly 100 years later. It all started with a man who built his family's foundation with his bare hands.
Tip Lanthier created the car in the 1930s. He was fast on the track, winning the Georgia Championship in 1938. The car is famous at the Winder Barrow Speedway because of the legacy it leaves behind.
His granddaughter, Tonya, said her grandfather got his nickname from always tipping his car sideways. She added that his drive and grit carried his name beyond the speedway.
"He was a leader, he always knew what to do. He showed up and was consistent," she said.
Three years ago, the gift the Georgia racecar legend left for his family was stolen leaving them devastated. The nearly 100-year-old car had been in storage for decades when the incident happened.
Tonya's father saw the theft as it was happening.
"He said, 'Oh my god, there goes Papa's car!' He turned around started chasing it, called the cops, and they arrested a guy who had taken it," she said.
Broken down and in disrepair, Tonya was motivated to create a project that would show appreciation to her family's heirloom.
"I think we have lost a lot of value systems in the U.S., where we don't value things from the past, we don't value those strong family value system," she said.
After her grandfather passed away, she wanted to preserve what he started with the bright idea to restore the racecar.
Mechanic Bob Wagner felt privileged to work on the restoration project.
"An awful lot of it is a lost art, now we do it on a computer. This man got the hammers and the welders out and decided what it needed to look like," said Wagner.
It took three years to work on the new ride.
(Use the photo slider below to see the before and after photos. This story continues below the tool.)
Once it was finished, Tonya tipped the car as a tribute to her grandfather.
"I see myself in him, to do something different, step out of the box and do things differently," she said. "I have the grit, what he had, I see myself in him."
Tonya feels her grandfather would be proud of the picture-perfect finish she and her team completed.
"It was his love, it was something he loved to do, and I loved finishing this. I know he would be proud," she said.
