Smith runs Classic Autosmith in Marietta, a shop that not only meticulously restores vintage British, Italian and American metal, but specializes in the buying, selling and storage of these classic motors as well.
He and I start chatting like old friends, name-dropping cars we love. Soon, he tilts the monitor towards me; starts scrolling through dozens of folders labeled with model names: "Eldorado Biarritz," "XJS Vanden Plas," "Imperial," "Roadmaster," "Super."
These names represented a lifetime of collecting, a hobby whose seeds were sown long before Smith could dream of having the cars in his stable.
"I could never afford those cars when I was young," said Smith, "so when I was finally able to, I picked them up." He showed me photos of a 1960 Eldorado sedan, then a 1959 Eldorado Biarritz convertible; jet-age icons that still represent the finest period of American luxury.
Smith says his love for these stylish Detroit yachts, along with a love for classic British sports cars, began when he was a child growing up in Louisville, Kentucky. There, he started working for a country club at age 12. "I'd scan the parking lot, admiring the new cars," said Smith. Cadillacs, Packards, Jaguars; these were the cars young Skip lusted for. In turn, they became some of the first cars he collected.
When the Kentucky Derby was in full swing, Smith would chase the rail carriages that brought wealthy spectators to town. He'd buy them cigarettes, whiskey, and newspapers at the liquor store across the street from the train station. "Most kept a tab there," he said.
On those runs, Smith would usually stop by a local automotive shop and peek his head in the door. Eventually, the foreman hired him to sweep the shop floors in the evenings, and from there he became a mechanic.
I see a name pop up as he continues to scroll. "Daimler SP250." He owned the British sports car decades ago, but it's such a unique car that both our eyes lit up when I mentioned it.
I'd just watched Jay Leno's Youtube video showing a completed restoration of a Daimler SP250 and could hear the engine note in my head clear as a bell. A 2.5-liter Hemi V8, developed by Daimler himself in Britain in the early 50s, is something you don't easily forget hearing, even over Taiwanese monitor speakers. An aluminum cauldron that sounds like it's just swallowed a box of nails.
"Let me show you something," Smith said.
We walked out of the office and into the depths of a cavernous warehouse. As is the case with places like this, the good stuff is always in the back, and he steers us towards a Mark II Jaguar with the same Daimler V8, hidden in the corner.
Inside the warehouse was a collection of rides ranging from a Ford Bronco II to an Alfa Romeo 164. Some of these are in storage for clients, but most of the cars are part of Smith's personal collection; those sit under layers of car covers against the back wall.
Cadillacs of various vintage are given away by hulking lines underneath fabric, but Smith points me towards a convertible. This one, a Hemi Cuda, is the car he really wants to make a point of. "Look up how many four speed convertibles there are," he said. I wasn't quick enough, so he asked his Siri: How many four speed Hemi Cuda Convertibles were made? Eight. It was an impressive gesture, but then Smith turned around. "It's a fake. A really good fake, but a fake."
The Cuda was originally a coupe, with a different engine and transmission to boot. But Smith said it's virtually indistinguishable from the real deal, and still worth several hundred grand. Does he plan on selling any time soon? Absolutely not.
We walk back to the office and suddenly the skies let loose outside, buckets of rain pouring over the glass door like a waterfall. Smith rushes outside to bring a car in; I'm tempted to follow, but I stay put. When he gets back, he says it's a convertible that hadn't been in the paint booth yet.
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| This photo was taken at my first Caffeine and Octane in July 2010. Since then it's moved around countless times and grown enough to get its own TV show. |
Smith was among the first in a now-elusive group of guys who started Caffeine and Octane, a local car meet that now draws over 10,000 onlookers and participants every month. It's now held at Perimeter Mall, a 1.5-million square foot retail bloc in Dunwoody.
In 2006, when the group first started meeting on Sunday mornings, the event was more of an impromptu gathering. According to Smith, it was a time when metro Atlanta car enthusiasts could sneak out of their homes in the suburbs, leave household chores and work behind to talk about cars for a few hours. It was held at the East Cobb Avenue outside of Panera Bread, and Smith says there was a good relationship between the shopping center and meet patrons. Those car guys and girls would bring steady business to Panera Bread and surrounding restaurants that were open for breakfast, so the shopping center let the show stay even as it started to outgrow the location.
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| By 2013, Caffeine and Octane had grown to take over this business park in Milton. I'm glad I thought ahead, snapping a photo of the massive crowds for posterity. |
By the next year, things were really in motion, and the show continued to hop around various venues until landing at Perimeter in 2015. Smith and his shop became involved around 2012, one of the show's first sponsors. They continue to provide free coffee and donuts to volunteers and those who arrive earliest to Caffeine and Octane to help set up.
As we're wrapping up our conversation, Smith leaves the office to grab something for me. He comes back with a sticker that says "I am the Stig," an homage to my webpage. I thank him for the insight, but most of all for the stories he shared.
At the end of the day, it's not really about quarter-mile times or sky high valuation at auctions. What makes the most impact is sharing stories of why cars are special, why we give a damn. After all, that's led to the success of Caffeine and Octane. At the end of the day, it's as much about the people as it is the cars they love.
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