Rent a Classic Car

After years of working in the mortgage business, Scott Shinn and his wife Candi had a desire to abandon the corporate life and do something different. While driving along parts of the old Route 66 highway on vacation, the couple from North Carolina thought “Wouldn’t this be an awesome journey in a classic car, just the way it would have been 50 years ago?” It didn’t take the Shinns much time to realize that no such opportunity existed unless you already owned a road-worthy classic car and were willing to drive it cross-country.

Because a road trip in a classic car comes along with the expense of owning and maintaining a vintage vehicle, the Shinns decided go into business with their own fleet of restored classic cars and rent them out so that modern drivers could experience a classic road trip on old Route 66. The Shinns also wanted to make their road trips affordable, and price their rentals at a cost that is about the same as renting a modern luxury car. Thus, Blacktop Candy’s was born and the Shinns had a mission to complete: “Provide world-class road trips in classic American cars to a global market of travel and vintage automobile enthusiasts.”

Blacktop Candy’s fleet of vintage American cars includes a 1967 Chevy Camaro SS, a 1965 Mustang Fastback GT, a 1970 Chevelle SS 396, a 1955 Chevy Bel Air, a 1957 Chevrolet 150, a 1971 Mustang Mach 1, and a 1953 Chevy half-ton pickup. Because the cars need to handle a variety of climates and elevations as well as stop and go urban traffic, the Shinns have added adding air conditioning, seat belts, cruise control, disc brakes, larger radiators and modern tires. To facilitate navigation along Route 66, they also added GPS, Bluetooth audio integration and USB charging ports to each car.

Two tours are currently offered. The first trip runs from Chicago to Los Angeles along historic Route 66, and the second runs the other way from Los Angeles back to Chicago. Both road trips equal about 2,400 miles and Blacktop Candy’s gives its clients a full 19 days to drive at their own pace between nightly stops and see as many attractions as they desire along the way. Extra on the road security is provided by a tour adviser and qualified mechanic that accompany each rental car in a different vintage auto. In the event of mechanical problems, the extra car serves as a mobile pit crew that travels with the clients.

The tours are designed so that travelers can fly to their starting city (either L.A. or Chicago), drive the entire route, and be back home within a three week period. Each tour is 19 days, 18 nights and includes 2 nights in Los Angeles, 2 nights in Chicago, with side trips to Branson, Missouri and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Seeing the USA the vintage way is not exactly cheap at $11,900 for two adults, but it is far less expensive than buying, building and driving your own classic car for 19 days across the country would be. The price includes the vintage automobile rental, transportation to and from arrival and departure airport, carefully chosen double occupancy accommodations, vehicle damage, liability and theft insurance, GPS navigation, spare classic support vehicle, daily car wash and all fuel services.

The Shinns are also working on adding more classic cars and new routes in the near future. Plans are in the works for a Washington, D.C. to New Orleans trip, a Pacific Coast Highway trip from Los Angeles to Seattle, and an east coast trip from Maine to the Florida Keys. Blacktop Candy’s careful planning and support services make it easy and relatively affordable for anyone to take the trip of a lifetime driving a classic American automobile. More info and trip details can be found on the Blacktop Candy’s website at blacktopcandys.com.