JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Sometimes you find the coolest local gems by just driving by, popping in and taking a look. That’s exactly what happened when News4JAX photojournalist Mark Clanton and I spotted Pugh’s Automotive off Lenox Avenue on the Westside!
Mark had a history of coming to the shop for a part, and remembered that many antique cars were part of this auto shop’s story.
Some cars today are 4 cylinders, maybe 6, and there’s some V8′s out there, but not like one car we found at the shop. This car is a V16 -- 16 cylinders. They don’t make them like they used to. Looking at the attention to detail, you might see something similar on a Jaguar or Mercedes Benz, but you’re not going to find this level of detail on the average car. And what about the horn, the airhorn is part of a V16, a majestic car you won’t find in today’s dealerships.
Pugh’s has been around for years, taking care of local patrons and keeping its antique classics rebuilt and running like new.
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One of the cool cars we found is a T-Bird with suicide doors. It is amazing, restored and can still be driven. You know those Teslas with doors that come up, this is actually cooler to me. Looks like something Princess Di would have ridden in.
We’ve all seen modern day Cadillacs, but one of the older Cadillacs here has May West Bumpers. If you don’t know what those are....google it!
Another really cool find on the Pugh’s lot is the Ford Falcon. Remember when they made cars that had whole seats that just went across the car? Really fun to sit in the middle, I actually remember that as a kid myself. These cars are roomy and the wooden steering wheel...just things you don’t get anymore.
They also have a car similar to the Bonnie and Clyde car! Which is why the tires have what they call “Gangsta Whitewalls.”
And while Pugh’s has some gorgeous collectible cars, it’s also a full service garage. An incredible place with the sweetest people who know a lot about these cars.
If you have a local gem you’d like me to spotlight, email me at kgarner@wjxt.com.