CONWAY — George Covington Sr. of Conway is a lover and collector of old things — toys, furniture, buildings and, for the past 30 years, classic cars.
“I’ve always had a love affair with cars, since I was a kid. I grew up in the era of muscle cars,” the 60-year-old said, standing in his showroom of gleaming collectible and vintage vehicles.
He opened Covington Classic Car Sales in September on property he already owned at 1160 Collier Drive.
Covington recalled that he was showing the land to a prospective buyer and suggested to the man that it would be a “great place for a classic-car dealership. He said, ‘Yeah, it would.’ I said, ‘Never mind; it’s not for sale.’”
Covington is known in Conway for breathing new life into tired buildings. The family owns Covington Roofing, Covington Construction and Covington Properties. His two sons, Jason and George Jr., serve as presidents. His daughter, Stephanie Covington, is secretary-treasurer of the companies and works at the classic-car business and anywhere else she’s needed.
George Covington designed the building for the dealership and searched the Internet and traveled the United States with his wife, Janette, to buy classic cars from other collectors. They’re the kind of cars that stop traffic.
The couple went to Indiana, Kentucky, Florida, Texas and Nebraska.
“You don’t want to buy a car in January in Lincoln, Neb.,” he said, shaking his head. But he goes where the cars are.
The couple came home from the Nebraska trip with a dark-green 1965 Corvette convertible. Covington is partial to Corvettes — a 1958 Corvette started his collection three decades ago. A week later, he bought a 1957 Thunderbird. Although he has his choice of cars to drive, he pulled up to the interview in a 2006 convertible Corvette in Daytona orange.
A silver-and-black 1967 Corvette on the showroom floor is his favorite of the ones for sale.
“This was somebody’s pride and joy,” he said.
In addition to loving the look, feel and memory of an era that comes with classic cars, Covington enjoys the stories and history that follow them.
A 1973 yellow Mustang was in a warehouse at a Ford dealership in Illinois for 30 years. The dealership owner sold it new, took it as a trade-in in 1976, and decided he wanted to keep it. Covington bought it at an auction in Orlando, Fla. It has the original interior and original top.
“It’s a very fun little car to drive,” he said.
A 2007 black-and-gold Shelby Hertz Mustang is one of only 500 made to use as rental cars for the Hertz company, Covington said.
“They’re very collectible,” he said, adding that the one he has came from Fort Smith and was never used as a rental.
It comes with the original window sticker, a photograph of the car being unloaded when it arrived in Fort Smith, and a framed billboard ad.
The dealership’s decor is as unique as its cars. It was his wife’s idea to paint the office area to look like a gas station, and Covington put up neon along the trim, learning as he went.
Conway artist Amy Ness painted the bathroom doors to mimic those at old-fashioned gas stations, complete with oil-company logos and the reflection of cars in the “glass.”
Covington bought two rusty gas pumps from a bygone era, and his employees refinished them to like-new condition.
“I just don’t like to throw away stuff that much,” he said. “I don’t want everything in my life to be disposable.”
One couch in the dealership is made from the back of a 1957 Chevy.
“It’s actually comfortable,” Covington said, sitting down.
Another area of the show room is decorated to look like a ’50s diner, with a red-and-white table and chairs, a Coca-Cola couch Covington bought at an auction and an antique Coca-Cola machine that Covington owns.
The Coca-Cola couch gets almost as much attention as his cars, Covington said, but it’s not for sale.
Neon signs on the wall, made by a man in Springfield, Mo., are for sale.
The car inventory also includes a 1967 Corvette from Eden Isle in Greers Ferry and two 1957 Chevy Bel Airs, one pristine white and one silver, purchased in Clarksville.
The white 1957 Chevy, which sports a red-leather interior, has a 1996 Corvette engine and running gear.
“The whole car’s modern. It’s a new car with an old look — restomod, they call it.”
Covington walks by the silver 1957 Chevy convertible — with an orange and silver interior — “the guy took his wife on their wedding anniversary in this one,” he said.
Another in Covington’s collection is a 1968 bronze-colored Corvette.
There’s even a little red Corvette — a 1966 model.
“The selection of cars we’ve got now is really good,” he said.
Covington has decided to sell his oldest car — a 1929 Plymouth, one of fewer than 12 in existence, he said.
He bought it for the rumble seat, which he thought would be fun for his grandchildren (he has six), to ride in.
“We’d go to McDonald’s in it,” he said, smiling.
His newest acquisition for the business is a 2010 ZRI Corvette.
“This has the most horsepower of any American-made sports car — 638 horsepower,” he said. As he rubbed the top, Covington explained that the car is made of durable carbon fiber, and pointed out the Plexiglas cover on the hood that reveals the engine.
It has only 850 miles on it.
“New cars like this, people will go in, buy it and drive one for two or three months,” Covington explained. “It’s like a fever they get. They’ve got to have that car. Then they realize they can’t drive it daily.”
In this case, Covington was told that the man traded the ZRI Corvette for a Porsche.
Covington said it’s been surprising to him that most of his customers are couples, 45 and older, who see his business from the interstate and decide to stop.
“A lot of younger people will come in and bring their kids because they’ve never seen [these cars],” he said.
It’s not unusual for guys to come in, swoon over a car, and call their buddies to come look.
“It’s like a car show in here every day,” Covington said.
“A lot of people come in and say, ‘Is this a museum, or do you sell cars?’” Covington said.
That doesn’t bother him, because as a lover of all things old, the normally reserved Covington can swap car stories with the best of them.
“I don’t hunt; I don’t fish. Collecting cars is my thing, my hobby.”
And if you know of anyone with a 1960 Corvette for sale, he’s in the market.