The Last Chance Garage

I have always loved a field trip. I loved them as a kid. I think it got me out of the boring class room and into the world where I could learn by touching, smelling, and understanding the environment in which things exist. To this day I take advantage of any opportunity for a field trip. A few weekends ago, I had a great visit to Last Chance Garage. I suspect it will take a few post to cover my visit. Lets begin with the garage itself. The name really says it all. Most of the cars that come here are on their last legs. This really is their last chance. The other thing about the cars at Last Chance is the cars are incredibly rare. One I will cover in a future post is so rare that you most likely have never even heard of it. Every car is loved. 

Last Chance is owned by Buck Depkin. Buck is a wealth of knowledge. He is also incredibly talented at taking a complete hulk and restoring it back to original, new condition. I feel really grateful for the time he took to show me just about everything in his collections. Even though he has probably given the tour a thousand times, he talked to me as if I was the first person he ever showed it too. He seemed genuinely excited about it.

I got in to Last Chance because back in high school, this guy Pat was friends with my best friend Steve. We went to different high schools together. Pat, like his dad is a wealth of knowledge. He is really passionate about all these cars. The thing that alway impressed me about Pat is how incredibly smart he is. Pat is a very sharp tool. Pat is also one of the few people to have my complete respect. I feel honored to call him my friend.

Buck is a collector. He has a lot of signs. Mike and Frank from Pickers would be changing their undies if they walked in here. I seriously doubt they would break the ice. I doubt anything is for sale at Last Chance.

You can tell a lot about a man by his shop.

Unlike my chaotic shop, Buck's is clean and organized.

This is just a small slice of business cards. I spent a lot of time just looking at all of these. I might have created a diversion and snuck one of mine onto the wall.

Wouldn't it be great to still be paying those prices?

How many sets do you see there? I already said this might take a few posts.

I love this old school organization. Austin? That's a British car isn't it? I have to wonder...

This sign is hanging above the door where the cars are. In my next post I will show you what is behind the door. It really is a historical exhibit.