Ohio is home to a lively group of car aficionados who restore, drive and love their rides.
Ohio is second only to California in car culture, according to Shannon Davis, the owner of The Chariot Shop in Zanesville, Ohio.
He said that is due to Ohio’s location in a perfect triangle between Indianapolis, which hosts the Indy 500, Detroit and Pittsburgh’s steel industry. All around Ohio, you can find aftermarket parts shops, cruises and conventions and people with a passion for restoring old rides that they see as still having potential, whether they be shop owners or hobbyists working out of their garage. The Chariot Shop allows people to bring in their old, rusted out shells to be restored into a working piece of classic car art.
According to employee Chris Armstrong, who specializes in welding, body and paint work, each car has a story behind it. Some cars he’s worked on have been in the family for generations, and hold sentimental value for a dad or grandfather. Nobody technically needs their old cars to get around on a daily basis, and it is a luxury to have and to restore one, but Davis said for some people, the memories and value attached to the car is priceless.
Davis said restoring an old car can never really result in a loss. With a new car, even a Corvette, you can drive it off the lot and a year later – even in stellar condition – it’s lost half of its value. With an old classic ride, if an owner puts $10,000 or $15,000 into it, he or she could get up to $25,000 or $30,000 for selling it, depending on the car.
Restoring and customizing automobiles is something that originated and is certainly most prevalent in the United States. Davis said other countries have outlawed the customization beyond what comes factory standard. He said it’s one of the things that makes America and its car culture unique.
“Your cars, your motorcycles – that’s the American dream, your freedom, your identity,” Davis said. “There’s a romance to it.”
The Ohio University Auto Club also meets once or twice a week to discuss members’ cars, parts and customizations they’re thinking of. They will take cruises together and sometimes members will go to the Columbus “Pick-N-Pull,” where people can pull parts from junkyard cars and purchase them for a discount.
Car shows are another common form of coming together through cars. Some might be company-specific, like the all-Ford swap meet in Columbus, which featured four buildings, three of which consisted almost entirely of parts and memorabilia. At swap meets, those who bring cars can try to sell them, or swap their car with another car at the meet, perhaps offering some money as well to incentivize the offer or make a fair trade.
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