by Tom Bastek
Last updated: 5:00 AM ET, Fri February 20, 2015
All photos courtesy of Blacktop Candy's.
Scott Shinn is a man that makes things happen. He went into the U.S. Marine Corps in 1980 and came out 20 years later with a nice retirement. When Scott got out, he formed a mortgage brokerage company in North Carolina and proceeded over the next 12 years to become one of the leading mortgage originators in the U.S.
Tired of the corporate world, he took a ride down Historic Route 66. Along the way, he thought to himself, "wouldn't this be a great drive in a classic car?" And with that, Blacktop Candy's was born.
The Fleet
Blacktop Candy's has a fleet of vintage American cars that have been restored to better than new condition. The cars have been upgraded to be able to handle "the cold, windy early springs of Chicago; the hot, arid plains of the Texas panhandle; the 7,000-foot elevation of Flagstaff, New Mexico; the 110-degree summers of the Mojave desert and the stop-and-go traffic of L.A."
The way they have done this is by taking the classic car and adding air conditioning, seat belts, cruise control, better brakes, radiators and tires. They have even added GPS, Bluetooth audio integration and USB charging ports.
So what would you want to drive? Scott has restored and upgraded a 1967 Chevy Camaro SS, a 1965 Mustang Fastback GT, a 1970 Chevelle SS 396, a 1955 Chevy Bel Air, a 1957 Chevrolet 150 - four door, a 1971 Mustang Mach 1, and a 1953 Chevy half-ton pickup. If you are looking for something a little newer, they carry a 2015 Chevy Camaro to rent as well.
The Routes
Blacktop Candy's offers two tours currently, and you can't really go wrong with either one. You can "go west, young man" and drive from Chicago to Los Angeles along historic Route 66. The second tour traces the serviceman's return from the Pacific after WW II by following Route 66 back from L.A. to finish up in Chicago. Either way you take it, you will have 19 days to travel 2,451 miles, stopping along the way to take in the scenery and all of its beauty.
Coming soon are obviously more great cars and new routes, and you can even vote online for which route you would like to see next. Choose from the historic south: Washington, D.C. to New Orleans; the west coast: Pacific Coast Highway - LA to Seattle; the east coast: Historic US 1 - Maine to Florida Keys; from north to south: Great River Road along the Mississippi River; and national parks: Yosemite, Death Valley, Yellowstone and more.
So make the trip of your dreams by renting the car of yesteryear on the route from yesteryear. It's all the fun of driving a classic car with no worry about the loss of modern day conveniences.
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