Ron does not just own classic cars. He keeps a whole little world of chrome, horsepower, and memory tucked inside his garage. His collection feels less like a hobby and more like a lifelong love story on wheels.
That love started early. “I’ve been a car guy for all my life, really. Ever since I was sixteen years old,” Ron said. His first car was a 1955 Chevrolet, the kind of ride that was simply part of daily life back then. It was not a collector’s piece at the time. It was just a car. But for Ron, that was enough to spark something that never left.
The real turning point came when he was 16 and spotted a white 1962 Corvette at a gas station near his neighborhood. It was marked at $1,500, which might as well have been a fortune for a teenager making “sixty or eighty dollars a week.” He could not buy it then, but he never forgot it. That one car stayed with him for decades and helped shape the rest of his collection.
Today, Ron owns four Corvettes and is working on a fifth project, a 1965 Chevrolet truck. He has been collecting for about 10 years, but the obsession goes back much farther. His goal has been clear for a long time. He wanted one Corvette from each generation. “So right now I have four of the generations out of eight, and so I am still collecting and still looking for the other four,” he said.
That dream 1962 Corvette finally came home about 10 years ago, and the story behind it really does feel like something out of a car lover’s daydream. Ron had been searching for years, especially for one in Honduras maroon. “I wanted that color, Honduras maroon color, which I like, and they’re pretty rare nowadays. There are only about one hundred of them left in the world.”
Like many collectors, he checks listings often. “Sunday night, I look at all the websites every week for the cars and stuff. So I was looking on Facebook on Sunday night, and that Corvette popped up.” What made the moment even better was how close it was. “It was right there… and I’m like, man, this is close to me.”
He wasted no time. “Monday morning, I went straight up there to look at it. As soon as I saw it, I was like, oh yeah, this is the one. I got to have it.” The deal was made that same day because he did not want anyone else to scoop it up. “He delivered it to my house on Tuesday. That’s how I got that one.”
So why Corvettes? For Ron, it comes down to style, history, and pride. He called it “the only American sports car made in America,” and said he has always liked American-made machines. That includes Harleys, too. But the Corvette has always had a special pull. The body lines, the sound, and the way each generation still feels fresh have kept him hooked. Even the earliest models still turn heads. They still feel cool. They still feel alive.
Ron is not just a collector who parks the cars and polishes them. He works on them himself. He has a lift in his garage, handles oil changes, and builds engines. In fact, he can build a small-block Chevrolet V8 on his own. He learned by spending weekends and after-school hours in his uncle’s mechanic shop. Later, he and his cousin got into drag racing and built race cars together at home before taking them to the strip on Saturday nights. That hands-on life has never really stopped.
He also knows how to pick a good classic. When he found the old truck in Arkansas, he looked for a dry, rust-free place. Classic car hunting is not just about looks. It is about saving yourself a pile of repair work. Over the years, Ron has learned that parts are easier to find now, too. With the internet, you can order nearly anything. That was not the case when he started out.
Even with all that work and all those trophies, what Ron loves most may be the feeling behind the wheel. “It takes me back to the seventies, you know. You’re driving that car, and you’re going down the road, and people are looking at you every which way, and it just reminds me of my younger days.” That is the heart of it right there. A classic car is not only about where it is now. It is about where it takes you.
And for Ron, that feeling is best with the top down, cruising around town, and letting the road do the rest. The cars may be old, but the thrill never is.
I’ve been a car guy for all of my life, really. Ever since I was sixteen years old, you know.
Back in the day, we had to go to junkyards and pull parts off wrecked cars. Now you can order almost anything online.