We opened the doors at 2926 Mt Carmel Ave and decided the right way to introduce ourselves was to fill the lot with cars and invite the neighborhood over. We put out a sign that said open house, meet the team, cars, food, fun. About 75 people came through on October 3rd, a clear fall afternoon with the sign reading 66 degrees. Here’s how the day went.
The Cars That Showed Up
The lot filled in faster than we expected, and no two cars were alike. A 1952 Volkswagen Beetle. Two Datsun roadsters, one blue and one red. An unrestored Mercedes coupe with the original paint still on it. A Monte Carlo. A 1965 Mustang fastback. A Fox-body Mustang convertible. A pair of Corvettes, one yellow and one white. A red BMW M2. A black Acura NSX. A Fiat 500 Abarth.
Seventy-plus years of cars in one parking lot, and people spent the afternoon walking between them.
A 1952 Beetle With Its Original Inspection Sticker
The Beetle got a lot of attention, and not only for the paint.
It wears a 1952 Pennsylvania plate, and tucked into the corner of the windshield is the original Department of Revenue inspection card. Issued in 1952. Marked illegal after July 31, 1953. Still sitting there after all this time.
Since state inspections are the main reason most people pull into our building, having that car park out front on our first day was hard to beat. The odometer reads 215 miles, which tells you how much work went into the restoration.
The Coyote-Swapped Mustang
Shane’s pick for best car of the day was a 1993 Mustang LX convertible with a Coyote swap, hood up from start to finish.
That means a modern 5.0 sitting in a car that left the factory with a lot less under it. Those builds take real patience to get right, and this one was done properly. People kept circling back to look at the engine bay.
The Datsun That Came the Farthest
One of the two Datsun roadsters is a 2000 in blue and white race livery with a 55 on the door. It still carries California plates and the lettering from a collectors convention in Los Angeles on the hood.
That car has seen a lot more road than most of what parks on Mt Carmel Ave.
What the Interiors Looked Like
Some of the best stuff was inside the cars.
The Monte Carlo has fuzzy dice hanging from the mirror, a wood-rim wheel, a burl dash, and parchment seats somebody clearly takes care of. The Datsun has a wood-rim wheel of its own, a four-speed, and a period radio in the console. The Beetle has one round speedometer, black on black, with that 1952 card sitting right above it.
These are cars people drive, not cars that live under covers.
The Smallest Set of Wheels at the Show
Not every entry had an engine.
Partway through the day a little red trike made a slow lap of the lot, pushed by one of our guys, with Shane’s son Cillian riding up front. Past the Monte Carlo, past the Mustang, past a row of cars worth more than most houses, at roughly walking speed.
It didn’t win anything, but it drew a crowd, which is more than some of the cars can say. It might also be the best photo from the whole day.
Hoagies, Donuts, and a 50/50
Nobody should have to look at cars on an empty stomach.
We put out hoagie trays and wrap trays, pretzels, donuts, chips, coffee, soda, and water, and most of it was gone by the end. We ran a 50/50 raffle, and we handed out free state inspections and free oil changes to people who stopped by.
No trophies, no judging, no categories. Just a lot of good cars parked next to each other and something to eat.
People Came In to See the Shop
A lot of folks asked to walk through the building, which we were happy about.
What we heard most was how clean the shop is and how much of the equipment is brand new. That’s not what people usually picture when they think about a repair shop, and it’s not something you can tell somebody. They have to see it.
Meeting the techs was the other thing people mentioned. If you’ve ever handed your keys over to a stranger and hoped for the best, you know why that matters.
Familiar Faces
A good number of people in the lot weren’t strangers to us.
Neighbors walked over from down the block. Old coworkers that some of us hadn’t seen in years drove in because word got around that we’d opened a shop of our own. For a business that had just gotten started, that meant more than the headcount did.
We’re Doing It Again Next Year
The plan is to make this an annual thing to mark the anniversary of opening. Same lot, same idea, hopefully a few more cars.
Thanks to everyone who came out. If you were here and your car needs something looked at, or you missed it and want to see the shop for yourself, we’re at 2926 Mt Carmel Ave near the corner of Station Ave. Stop by or give us a call.
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