Time to Plant!
“I don’t want to be one of those guys who has all those ‘no touching’ plaques all over the car. I want kids of all sizes to get inside, touch and feel it. That’s where the real fun is.” – Jerry Patrick
Delta to recreating the Batmobile in his backyard wasn’t a quick one. Patrick has been working on cars for more than 30 years, but it wasn’t until recently that he started building “star cars.” “Before that, we were customizing really nice, expensive cars,” Patrick said. “The only problem is, you can only sell those kinds of cars to people who can afford them. “One night, we got done painting a beauty of a car and I turned around and accidentally put a small chunk in the finish. That’s when I said, ‘This is the last nice car we are ever going to do. From now on we only do fun stuff.’ ” “I don’t want to be one of those guys who has all those ‘no touching’ plaques all over the car. I want kids of all sizes to get inside, touch and feel it. That’s where the real fun is.” Patrick takes no shortcuts when building his cars. “If I’m making a car, I want it to be able to support me,” he said, leaping onto the baseboard, powerfully rocking the car. “And if we’re doing the interior, I want new gauges, too. Power steering and power brakes? Absolutely.” Patrick isn’t content with simply making “display” cars. He wants them running like normal cars, along with all the bells and whistles. In short, he wants his toys to work. “It’s annoying, you know? There’s a star car museum in Gatlinburg and the owner claims his Batmobile is screen used, but there is nothing under the shell. The windows are blacked out so you can’t see inside. He has essentially put a shell on display with a canopy
around it and shoved some tires in the wheel wells. Well, I got down on my hands and snuck under the rope to look underneath that carriage and confirmed my suspicions. Nope. No way. That’s just not going to cut it for a guy like me.”
Grow 1/2 Dollar size Muscadines and Blackberries! Over 200 varieties of Fruit & Nut Trees plus Berry Plants, Pecans, Pomegranates, Kiwi, Persimmons, Olives and more B
ring th is A in d for a
10%
DISCO
U NT
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
HOURS: M-F 9-5 • Sat. 9-2
Making Stars From Scrap During a long, winding walk down Patrick’s driveway and into his backyard, one can see all the star-studded possibilities. Parked in the nearby woods is a dilapidated, early ’80s GMC van. “Future ‘A-Team’ van right there,” Patrick said. “You bet.” His backyard is home to dozens of cars, each with its own unique story. Replica cars from “Grease” and “Starsky and Hutch,” Bumblebee from “Transformers,” KITT from “Knight Rider,” Eleanor from “Gone in 60 Seconds” fill his property — a who’s who of famous Hollywood rides. Some are camera-ready, while others are still in the makeup room. Some of Patrick’s unique creations are
Nursery & Vineyards
FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED SINCE 1934
6855 Newnan Rd. (Hwy. 16) • Brooks, GA 30205
770-599-6970
www.isons.com
ATHLETES PLAY
By the Numbers Star Cars
Growing
Mystery Machine, Batmobile Roll in Coweta
Gillyweed — Newnan Shop Generates Fan Base Downtown
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2014
Coweta County’s most interesting people, places and things are
here.
How to Advertise A 1967 Kaiser Jeep with a Corvette motor and 44-inch tires. Like a painter still contemplating his canvas, Patrick hasn’t yet decided on a game plan for the old relic.
If you would like information about how to advertise your business, call 770.683.1707
january/february 2014
| 43