Meet the Family

The Full Story

Shawn started in the car industry professionally at the age of 18, way back in 1993, but his affinity for classic automobiles started in 1979 with a junkyard 1968 Camaro that his dad literally drug home. It had no doghouse, front suspension, or window glass — just a frame and shell with a rear end. He and his father worked on it for several years, trading for parts, using a tree as a cherry picker to install the motor, and scouring local junkyards to get it running to its former glory again.

As with anything in the 1970s and 1980s, the coal business was very volatile. His dad (Richard) sold the car for $900 to pay the bills when he was laid off for an extended period of time and to feed his family until the mines opened again.

Shawn spent years searching for that car. That search ended in 1999, when it was finally found — only to have been wrapped around a tree in Tennessee the month before.

Fast-forward to 2014, and Shawn met Ms. Cyndi. After spending a year talking her into marrying him, they traveled the South managing dealerships before founding American Classic Appraisals. Cyndi provides day-to-day support with billing and appointment scheduling and generally tries to keep Shawn in line.

The hunt for the car invigorated Shawn. He's owned well over 400 classics over the years. He's bought and sold at Mecum, Barrett Jackson, and GAA Classic Car Auctions, as well as many local and regional sales. He's been a used car director, used car manager, general manager, general sales manager, and business owner for well over 35 years.

After hearing the many horror stories from friends of friends being scammed out of deposits or even complete payments for vehicles that never existed, he decided to launch American Classic Appraisals — providing insurance appraisals, virtual inspection reports, and physical inspections for potential buyers across the country. It's well worth spending a few hundred dollars to potentially save thousands on a vehicle that doesn't even belong to the person "selling" it.