By Keith Thomson | Sept/Oct 08 | 

Old Car Heaven

An Alabama attorney wants to put you in the driver's seats of his classics

Recently Dudley realized, “I’m just the caretaker. These cars belong to generations of the future.” He began transforming his warehouse into a facility “where the cars can be uniquely accessible to people.” Old Car Heaven, as it will be known, is slated to open this fall. At some car museums, if you try to open a car door, the door may fall off its hinges—this is perhaps the reason for the velvet ropes. Dudley’s vehicles will all be kept in excellent working order. Some visitors may get to drive them. At the least, everyone will have a chance to sit in the driver’s seats.

Dudley also intends the site to be “a place where people can enjoy a different time.” A onetime loading dock will be converted into a bandstand and a space where people can party like it’s 1949. Visitors to the elegant martini bar may think they’ve stepped through a wormhole in time to the Roaring Twenties.

Meanwhile Dudley continues to “improve the herd.” Almost weekly, trailers bearing acquisitions from all over the country roll into Hesco, Birmingham’s venerable engine service company, where the restoration process begins. On a typical day at Hesco, a modern race car rates as humdrum. Hesco’s experts predict automotive enthusiasts will flock to Dudley’s collection. “It’s simply a unique selection,” says office manager Joe Molina.

Hank Patton, Hesco’s expediter, speculates that Old Car Heaven will be a big tourist attraction too. “It’s a sure thing,” he says, “just because, hell, who’s got that many cars?”