PINE GROVE — About 20 classic and antique cars passed through the Pine Grove Community Tuesday as part of the Redneck Power Tour.The cars, some locally owned, stopped at B & B Motorsports, a local business that builds and restores old cars to showroom quality, B & B Motorsports.
The Redneck Power Tour was started about two years ago by a car enthusiast named Mike “Fuzzee” Russell. It began as an idea in a conversation, and has built up to gatherings of up to 22 cars this year. Russell said when the tour hits the roads, drivers stick to paths less traveled and avoid traveling along intestates.
Russell said his tours mostly occur in southern states such as Mississippi and Louisiana. Russell’s primer colored 1939 Buick is just the way he wants it, drivable. He said he has no plans on making his vehicle show room worthy, because he likes to drive it too much. He lovingly calls his ride the “Redneck Limo”.
Born in Philadelphia Miss., and currently residing in Meridian, Russell was a career machinist until he became disabled. Now he runs a business that machines custom parts for custom cars, http://www.fuzzeesperformance.com/. This year’s tour so far has taken him to Meridian, Laurel, Gulfport, Biloxi, the Picayune area, and Metairie, La. The tour started on Monday, and will end on Thursday.
One of this week’s stops was at B & B Motorsports in the Pine Grove Community near Picayune.
B & B Motorsports shop owner Barry Barone moved to the area in 2006 after Hurricane Katrina destroyed both of his previous Louisiana based businesses, a coin operated Laundromat and a hardware store. Even though he had two full-time businesses, Barone also had a hobby of building and racing cars. After the storm destroyed his businesses, Barone thought it would be a good time to devote his time and energy to his passion, which is the cars.
Currently employing three full-time and two part-time workers, the shop is capable of rebuilding four or five classic or antique cars a year. To get started, Barone began by rebuilding a replica of a 1934 Ford, which is also the shop’s logo vehicle.
Since then, demand has taken off for Barone’s expertise. He said the shop already has a waiting list of six to eight months. It usually takes about eight to nine months to rebuild a custom vehicle, be it a muscle car or a street rod. Price depends on the extent of the work the owner would like done, but it could range from $42,000 to $120,000.
“You can go crazy with these things,” Barone said.
The desire to own and drive a classic vehicle can be strong for the enthusiast. John Garcia, of Hancock County, owns three vehicles, a 1977 Ford pickup, a 1936 Studebaker and an ‘83 El Camino. Garcia said his passion for the vehicles is due to being raised during the era when the cars at the event where common on American roads. His three vehicles are restored to factory condition. He opted not to add all of today’s modern amenities. Garcia estimates he has a combined investment of about $50,000 in all three vehicles.
Al Foucha, of Pearl River, La., decided to take his 1938 Dodge in a different direction, that of a street rod. With a shiny red paint job with ghost flames, it also sports air conditioning, power windows and modern suspension. Still there were some original aspects of the vehicle left in tact, such as the door handles. Foucha, unlike some classic car owners, prefers to drive his prized vehicle on a daily basis, whether it be to work, the grocery store or on long trips to Florida or Alabama. So far, Foucha has invested about $53,000 into his vehicle.
Carriere native Dewayne Hutchinson, kept his 1939 Desoto as original as possible. That has enabled his vehicle to star in two movies so far, 2008’s “Chess” and an upcoming film entitled “Sherfields.” Hutchinson drives his prized ride on weekends, at times participating in weddings and competitions.
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