When Matt Pierson answered the phone on Friday, Jan. 7, the last thing he expected to hear was that he was chosen as the winning recipient of a new car through Prestolite Performance’s Modern Muscle X campaign.
The news could not have come at a better time for the self-described “Chevy guy.” After returning on Christmas Eve from a year-long deployment in Afghanistan with the National Guard, Pierson was currently without a car of his own.
“This was huge for me and my family,” said Pierson. “Coming home fresh off of deployment, my wife and I were searching for a car. I have always wanted a Camaro, but didn’t think it was going to happen. Prestolite Performance has given me my dream car.”
Pierson won the car by participating in the Modern Muscle X campaign and sweepstakes offered by Prestolite Performance, a performance auto parts manufacturer of brands including Mr. Gasket, ACCEL, Hays, Lakewood, Mallory and QuickTime. In 2010, Prestolite charged its engineers with revamping three automotive icons including a 2011 Ford Mustang, 2010 Chevrolet Camaro and 2010 Dodge Challenger with products from the Prestolite Performance family of brands. The goal was to award one winner the car of their choice at the completion of the campaign. Fans could register online at www.modernmusclex.com through Dec. 31, 2010.
“The Modern Muscle X campaign was the first of its kind for Prestolite Performance and we were extremely pleased with both the innovative products our team developed for the cars and the nationwide interest the campaign captured,” said Jill Hepp, Prestolite Performance’s marketing manager. “To be able to offer one of our Modern Muscle cars to such a deserving individual such as Matt Pierson was that much more rewarding.”
For Pierson, choosing the Camaro was an easy decision, despite the fact that his wife, Paula, is a known Mustang fan. The couple initially sold their ’91 Mustang for a down payment on their house, but Pierson kept track of the car and bought it back a few years ago. He is now working to restore it.
“I always grew up in a Chevrolet family and my mom and dad even have matching Camaros,” said Pierson. “Winning this car is all I have been able to think about.”
The car is a 2010 Camaro SS, LS3 V8 with a 6-speed manual transmission and has received many product enhancements from Prestolite Performance’s brands, which can be found at www.modernmusclex.com/products.aspx. From the time of purchase, the Camaro has improved performance by almost three-tenths of a second, running a best time of 12.99 at 109.68 mph in the quarter mile.
“We are sad to see the Camaro go, but the Prestolite Performance team is excited to turn this car over to Matt to see what he can do with this fast land missile,” said Scott Stutler, product manager for the Modern Muscle X campaign.
Pierson will receive the Camaro on Jan. 19, 2011, in Nashville, Tenn., where he will be featured on a PowerBlockTV segment with host Courtney Hansen. The segment will air March 12 and 13, 2011, on SpikeTV.
To fulfill the sweepstakes requirements, Prestolite Performance is giving Pierson the Camaro, which has less than 6,000 miles, and is providing airfare for both Pierson and his wife to come to Nashville for the PowerBlockTV taping.
Fortunately, the campaign concept of Modern Muscle X will not end with the car giveaway. In 2011, Prestolite Performance will modify their campaign to offer big money for fast cars – the company will search for the fastest modern muscle car and award that winner up to $10,000. All details will be announced on the Modern Muscle X website in February.
“In 2010, we wanted to come into the market with a bang through intense product development,” said Hepp. “Now, in 2011, we want to give our fans the chance to actually use these products and give Prestolite Performance the chance to put our money where our mouth is. Stay tuned for our next exciting announcement!”
As for Pierson and his family, winning the car is just now starting to seem real. “My son watches PowerBlockTV with me in the mornings and the other day he saw it on TV,” said Pierson. “I think it was at that moment that it became a reality for him. He jumped off the couch and shouted, ‘There’s your car, dad!’ It was a great moment for both of us.”
For more information about Prestolite Performance, visit www.prestoliteperformance.com. 
