While Mickey does have a general idea of what he’s going to portray on a vehicle as he starts airbrushing, he admits that he adjusts as he goes along. He said that while it’s a process, “other references, other things, other ideas come up” as he’s working on a project, and “the creativity happens as you go.” You can see an example of that spontaneous creativity when you look at the tailgate of the First Responders Silverado. The numbers “5-1-11” are on the top right corner. Mickey shares, “It’s the date we got Osama bin Laden. Read more at Faces of GM.

The date 9/11 is seared forever in the memory of most Americans. On that date in 2001, hijacked airliners crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a field in Shanksville, Pa., killing nearly 3,000 people. In the midst of that tragedy, many heroes emerged. Perhaps the most courageous were the first responders – fire, police and EMS technicians – who raced to the scenes to try to rescue as many people as possible.

As we approached the 10th anniversary of 9/11, GM commissioned the next vehicle in a series honoring American heroes. World-renowned airbrush artist Mickey Harris and a crew of specialists took on the task of commemorating those first responders who gave their lives while trying to save others. Read the full post at Faces of GM.

Mickey’s work is featured on a special July 4th edition of Faces of GM. Read about it.

Hundreds of NASCAR fans and car enthusiasts made a pilgrimage to Level Cross, N.C., on May 28 to honor Richard Petty, take part in the inaugural Spring Fling Car Show at Petty’s Garage, and witness the official reveal of Legacy by Petty, the one-of-a-kind Dodge Challenger custom built by Petty’s Garage to pay tribute to Richard Petty and promote vehicle lift safety.

The event was sponsored by the Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) and its member companies.

“This inaugural event allows fans and car enthusiasts to walk the grounds where it all started for Petty race fans,” says Greg Steadman, general manager of Petty’s Garage, the high-performance speed shop located in the garages that were once home to Petty NASCAR teams. “For Petty’s Garage and our partners, the event allows us to show off innovations and cutting-edge products associated with builds such as Legacy by Petty, the new WIX Filters Dodge Challenger, and the Petty Superbird.”

The car show kicked off around 8:30 a.m. Two hours later, everyone gathered for some heartfelt presentations and the much-anticipated reveal of Legacy by Petty.

The Legacy by Petty has the trademark Petty Blue metallic paint. An artist spent more than 156 hours illustrating Petty’s unparalleled racing career through freehand paintings on both sides of the Challenger. Inside, the leather upholstery matches The King’s crocodile skin boots. And in the backseat, one of Petty’s signed and numbered Charlie One hats hangs on a special display stand.

Once the car was revealed, Petty applied the final touch, autographing the Challenger’s odometer cluster in front of the crowd.

In addition to honoring Petty and representing Petty’s Garage, the car also will be used to promote vehicle lift safety as it travels to events around the country. The vehicle features the ALI Web site URL, www.autolift.org, under each door opening. A DVD player and flat screen TV in the trunk will be used to show both the iconic movie Petty Blue and excerpts from Lifting It Right, a DVD hosted by Richard and Kyle Petty for ALI that is focused on safely using vehicle lifts.

To wrap up the program, Doug Grunnet, ALI chairman, presented the Petty Family Foundation with a check and announced that ALI, in cooperation with its member companies, has committed to sponsoring the Spring Fling Car Show at Petty’s Garage annually through 2014. A date for the 2012 event will be announced later.

Founded in 1945, the Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) is a trade association of North American-based lift manufacturers. More information about lift standards and other ALI-sponsored safety activities, such as the lift safety training DVD Lifting It Right hosted by Richard and Kyle Petty, can be found on the Institute’s Web site, www.autolift.org.