Shop Local: Collection of unique classic cars has a home in Minooka

A car doesn’t have to be old to be a classic, and that’s why Aces Classic Cars has a showroom that spans from a 1921 REO all the way to a 2014 Ford GT 500.

Jack Malloy, a salesman at Aces Classic Cars, said they have a showroom that anyone is welcome to view even if they aren’t looking to buy a car. Aces has many cars with a unique history, including a Cale Yarborough edition Chevy Laguna with operational rotating bucket seats, and a 1986 Ford Mustang GT purchased with just 30,000 miles on it.

“It’s kind of a time capsule,” Malloy said. “It only has 30,000 miles on it and I love fox-body Mustangs, and it seems like a lot of others do as well. But Ford always changed it up, so it’s refreshing to see an 86 exactly how it would have been in 1986.”

The 1986 Mustang GT still has the same wine-red interior rarely seen in a modern car.

The Laguna, Malloy said, was purchased by a woman looking to celebrate her retirement and despite its original intended use as a stock car, it’s actually an automatic. The Laguna was originally created for use only in NASCAR right out of the factory.

Malloy said Aces goes through each vehicle to make sure they’re drivable for everyone, not only car guys. This includes ensuring the air conditioning still works along with the regular things, like ensuring the vehicle can hit highway speeds. Even the Rambler, a station-wagon made by American Motors, still has a working crank back window.

“You could use the tailgate as a seat, and it’s a unique car,” Malloy said. “It was built in Kenosha, which is kind of a weird thing because we get a lot of locally built cars, but we don’t really try to aim for a brand.”

Malloy said Aces will begin hosting Car shows every Friday night starting Friday, May 5, in order to give local vehicle enthusiasts a place to be on those nights. The outside lot at Aces has room for 300 vehicles and the hope is to get that lot full each Friday night from May all the way through to October.

Aces also is opening a restaurant called Aces Grill, which doesn’t yet have an opening scheduled but could soon. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday.

For information on Aces Grill or on Aces Classic Cars, visit acesclassiccars.com or check out the Aces Classic Cars Facebook page.