FREEPORT

By his own admission, Michael Stavros is not a wrench-wielding, gearhead “car guy.”

But the L.L. Bean systems analyst knows sheet-metal beauty when he sees it — and especially when he’s won it.

In a ceremony today at the Circle K store at 574 U.S. Route 1, Stavros officially was presented with the 2013 Ford Mustang GT he won in a contest sponsored by the convenience store chain.

The lesson here is that, sometimes, persistence pays dividends.

“It was a text-to-win contest,” Stavros said. “I drove up to the gas station, saw the sign and sent a text message every day that I could until the contest ended.”

More than 111,000 entries were received.

When the Freeport man learned in September he had won, he relayed his choice of options to Circle K, which ordered the car from an Akron, Ohio, dealership near its headquarters. Once built, the car was trucked to Maine and delivered to Stavros a couple of weeks ago.

Stavros chose the hard-top body style, with sterling grey paint and leather interior. His model also will have a 420-horsepower 5.0- liter engine and six-speed automatic transmission.

“That’s a nice-looking car, a really nice combination,” said Harry Price, a salesman at Brunswick Ford, when it was described to him. Price said it sells for $35,000 to $37,000.

In two weeks, Stavros estimates that he has logged “only about 20 miles” on the odometer.

“I wanted to keep it in presentation condition for the ceremony,” he said. “After that, all bets are off.”

Actually, his 19-year-old daughter will be the lucky secondary recipient.

“We were in a Ford dealership a couple of weeks before she left for school, and she was poring over her dream car, the Mustang convertible,” Stavros said. “I’d promised her that, if she got a full scholarship, I’d buy her the car.”

While she didn’t get an academic “full ride,” Stavros said she did well enough to end up with the new, five-liter ride instead.

“She’s pretty stoked,” he said.

This is the second year Circle K has sponsored the contest. Last year, a Lima, Ohio, man won a Chevrolet Camaro convertible.

“We change the car up every year,” said spokeswoman Jessica Steinhoff. “I’m not sure what we’ll be offering next year.”

After today’s ceremony, Stavros is not going to call out of work and spend the day joyriding.

He has a road trip planned for Friday: He’s going to Orono to pick up his daughter and bring her home for the weekend.

In her new car.

jtleonard@timesrecord.com

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