Andy Granatelli - Trivia

Trivia

One of the last things Rocky Marciano did before his death was a car commercial. The world heavyweight champion (1952–1956) was on a visit to Chicago. He was coming from a dinner at Granatelli's home where he reportedly gave Granatelli's son boxing lessons after he was being picked on in school. Marciano died hours later in a plane crash.

Andy Granatelli was famous for purchasing the small automotive repair chain Tuneup Masters. He renamed the company "Andy Granatelli's Tuneup Masters" and opened locations in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah. This was done largely through the acquisition of other small automotive chains. The company was never franchised and remained privately held until the late 1980s, when it was sold to Cardis (Carquest Autoparts). Cardis, a Cerritos-based distributor and retailer of automotive parts, bought TuneUp Masters from Granatelli's group in a cash and stock deal then valued at up to $53 million, with at least $40 million paid in cash. At the time of sale they had approximately 150 stores. Andy followed the marketing success of his STP decal branding by affixing the TM decal to every car serviced. The chain was famous for offering complete automotive tune-ups for $49.95, flat rate, with no extra charges for parts. This was a popular price and led to tremendous growth throughout the 1980s. Eventually the chain was sold, probably due to the increasing complexity of cars, and the difficulty of offering comprehensive service for such a low price. The business model was changed from flat-rate to a base flat-rate, with additional charges for a list of add-ons such as air filters. This business model was much less effective, because the cost to customers rapidly increased.

STP, the engine oil additive which Granatelli made famous, stands for "Scientifically Treated Petroleum", according to Granatelli's autobiography, They Call Me Mister 500. A common STP slogan has been, "STP, The Racer's Edge".

Granatelli was the man responsible for the STP sponsorship of racecar driver Richard Petty. The 30-plus-year sponsorship almost did not happen because Granatelli wanted the car painted solid red. Petty was adamant that they team would use the Petty Blue they were known for. An agreement was reached that the car would be half red and half blue. When Petty was given the contract there was a line that said Petty would receive an extra $50,000 on top of the $250,000 if he would paint the entire car red. Petty crossed out the line and put RP beside of it, saying he was not going to stop using his signature blue. After having much success sponsoring Petty, Granatelli made a deal with Petty that as long as he drove a race car STP would sponsor him, the longest sponsorship in the history of NASCAR.