Mark Brantley’s Buccaneer Red 1973 Pontiac Trans Am won the “Best in Show” award at the Charlotte Motor Speedway’s AutoFair last weekend. Photos courtesy of CMS/Adam Fenwick

Charlotte Motor Speedway’s AutoFair car show, a four-day automotive spectacular that draws tens of thousands of spectators over the course of the show, saw a mint-condition ’73 Pontiac Trans Am win the coveted “Best of Show” award.

Brantley’s focus on the restoration was to keep as much original on the Pontiac as possible.

The Buccaneer Red musclecar, whose interior is almost completely original, is owned by Charlotte, North Carolina, resident Mark Brantley. “It’s unbelievable,” said Brantley after winning Best of Show. “I didn’t think I would even come close.” Except for the carpet and dash, the entire interior is in original form.

Brantley, beating out stiff competition, was given the highest of honors as it topped all the best entries from the nearly 50 car clubs that came to AutoFair. One of Brantley’s cars had previously won Best of Show for his club, Carolina Classic Pontiac Club, but he had never placed for overall Best of Show.

Originally a Maryland car, the Trans Am was acquired by Brantley in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area. Over the next four years, Brantley restored the project car with a focus on keeping as much of the car original as possible. He rebuilt the engine and transmission, as well as a few other mechanical parts, but keeping the stock parts was a major part of the plan. “It even has the original 8-Track and AM/FM stereo,” Brantley said.

Brantley had no idea that he would be considered with a whole track full of cars from over 50-car clubs in the competition.

Admitting his love for the Trans Am cars – all of them – comes natural for him. His first car was a Trans Am and he has loved them ever since. The church staff volunteer and full time mechanic turned his love into a passion and it certainly paid off last weekend.

When speaking of the Best of Show winner, Fox Sports commentator Mike Joy said the Trans Am looks exactly as it would have 40 years ago in a Pontiac showroom. “I’m really proud of it,” Brantley said while holding his trophy. “A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into it.”

NASCAR commentator Mike Joy (on left with microphone) commented on the original stock look of Brantley’s Trans Am.

The First Runner-Up Award at the AutoFair was a 1972 Opel GT driven by Keith Lundham of Cookeville, Tennessee, which also took home the award for Best Restoration by Owner. The Second Runner-up was a 1967 Ford Fairlane GT driven by Chris and Rachael King from Minneapolis, North Carolina.

All breeds and brands of cars were in attendance at the AutoFair.

Specialty award winners included Bill Bergstrom, of Salisbury, North Carolina, winner of the Bob Laidlein Award (Most Original) for his 1941 Buick Estate Wagon; Bradley Gray, of Rockwell, North Carolina, winner of the Cabarrus Cup Award (Most Creative) for his 1956 Chevy Stepside Truck; Cleveland, North Carolina native, Brandon Garrison, winner of the Lion Cup Award (Best Paint) for his 1969 Chevrolet Camaro; and Mary Helzer, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, who captured the Mecklenburg Strelitz Award (Ladies’ Choice) for her 1976 AMC Pacer.

Everything from the mild to the wild can be seen at CMS’ AutoFair car shows.

Each of the car clubs participating in the AutoFair was judged individually, with a Best of Show picked for each club.

The AutoFair car show, billed as “the world’s largest automotive extravaganza,” is set to return to the Charlotte Motor Speedway from April 9 through April 12, 2015. The AutoFair brings together thousands of automobiles, collector car auctions, 10,000 vendor spaces, a massive manufacturer midway and a kids’ play zone. Something for every member of the family to enjoy.

For more information on the AutoFair, visit Charlotte Motor Speedway’s website at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.