Champion Classic 1965 Vintage Men's T-Shirt

Design Description R.A. and F.D. Stranahan are widely regarded as the founders of the Champion Spark Plug Company—though the story is a bit more complicated. What they ultimately secured was the patent and rights to the Champion name, which they smartly leveraged to build what would become the world’s largest spark plug manufacturer. Early on, however, the brothers were struggling, burdened with more than $20,000 in debt and a company barely staying afloat. Their fortunes changed when Willys-Overland Motor Company offered them an exclusive supply contract, on the condition they relocate to Toledo, Ohio. A similar deal from Henry Ford and Ford Motor Company soon followed, allowing the Stranahans to pay off their debts and build immense wealth. But the roots of the company go back to 1905, when French cyclist Albert Champion founded the Albert Champion Company in Boston to produce porcelain spark plugs bearing his name. His partners were none other than the Stranahan brothers. At some point—whether by force or choice—Champion exited the business, leaving the Stranahans with control of the Champion name. After a legal dispute, Champion was barred from using his own surname commercially and, in 1922, rebranded his business as AC Spark Plug Company, using his initials instead. Meanwhile, the Stranahans moved forward under the Champion name, cementing its place in automotive history. Product Details Like all our designs, this one is treated with our signature ‘relic-ing’ process which includes our own secret recipe of hand-painted chipping, cracking, fading, and just the right touch of yellowing to ensure that it looks the part of a true vintage imprint.** We lay these works of art down on premium Bella+Canvas 3001 Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve Tees, one of the softest, best-wearing t-shirts available today, via state of the art direct to garment (DTG) printing which allows us to create a vintage effect that simply can’t be accomplished with other printing methods. In short, these shirts are everything you’ve dreamed of and more – it feels soft and lightweight with just the right amount of stretch, making it comfortable and flattering for both men and women. 100% combed and ring-spun cotton* Fabric weight: 4.2 oz (142 g/m2) 32 singles for a softer hand Dyed and cut in the USA Shoulder-to-shoulder taping Side-seamed construction Tear-away label Modern retail fit Runs true to size *Heather CVC Colors: 52% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, 48% polyester, 32 singles, 4.2 oz. Athletic Heather and Black Heather CVC: 90% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, 10% polyester, 32 singles, 4.2 oz. Heather Prism Colors: 99% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, 1% polyester, 32 singles, 4.2 oz. Heather Prism Blue: 90% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, 10% polyester, 32 singles, 4.2 oz. **Due to the nature of the printing process and different sizes of shirts offered, imprint position and scale may vary slightly from the product images, but we do our best to be as accurate as possible. Screen colors may vary due to differences in screens. Due to the natural nature of cotton, whites may appear off-white rather than bright white. Size Chart Not sure what size is your best fit? We recommend taking one of your current t-shirts, laying it flat and measuring it. The measurements in the chart below are taken with the shirt laying on a flat surface. To get the length, measure from the high shoulder point down to the bottom of the shirt. To get the width, measure approximately 1-inch below the armhole, across the chest, from seam to seam. While our tees are all made using premium, pre-shrunk, ring-spun cotton, there can be some shrinkage depending on your personal wash and dry cycles. With that said, if you’re on the fence, we always suggest going up a size. All sizes are provided in inches! Please note that variations in sizing of up to 1.5 inches are possible.