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Cleveland, Ohio – With an unprecedented seven wins and a collection of over 70 race stage-winning yellow jerseys in the Tour de France, American Lance Armstrong has reached the record books as the top long distance bicyclist in the world. However, after cycling over 1,000 miles on two wheels through the mountains of France, Armstrong might prefer to take his four-wheel vehicle when cruising around town following his anticipated retirement.
After winning his sixth title in 2004, Armstrong’s girlfriend, Grammy Award-winning singer Sheryl Crow, decided to surprise him with a gift of the stock vintage Pontiac GTO muscle car he always wanted. However, she had something a little more complicated up her sleeve than just tying a big red bow around it. Crow contacted The Learning Channel’s (TLC) Overhaulin’ television show to completely rebuild this classic car. Lincoln Electric helped Overhaulin’ host and top hot rod designer Chip Foose create this new masterpiece by supplying the welding equipment used to fabricate parts of the car.
Lincoln’s Precision TIG™ 185 welder, Pro Cut® 25 plasma cutter, and SP-135 compact MIG welder were all used to turn the old GTO from grimy to glistening. Foose headed up the team working at the Colvin Automotive shop in Austin, TX using these welders to bring the GTO back to life.
After fooling Armstrong into thinking his GTO had been stolen, Crow and the Overhaulin’ crew put their noses to the grindstone and eventually revealed the shiny new road warrior. Armstrong was so impressed with the new car and the work of Lincoln that he ordered a Power MIG™ 255C for his own personal shop. In return, Armstrong presented Lincoln Electric with an autographed jersey. This jersey will be auctioned off to benefit a charity group in the near future.
Lincoln Electric is the world leader in the design, development and manufacture of arc welding products, robotic arc-welding systems, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment. | 