Tony Begley’s philosophy is that if everyone were into cars like he is, world peace would be staring us in the face.  It may sound crazy, but Tony’s convinced. That’s just how much he has grown to love the collector car hobby and the people in it.

“Car people are some of the best people in the world. Car guys and car gals share that love and enthusiasm. It can really pull people together,” says Tony. “I’ve always been a car nut.”

For him, the fascination with cars started when he was growing up, in the 1960’s.  He says that both Rock and Roll music and cars were highly influential during that time, and he became a major gearhead by the time he was out of high school.

And, even when times were changing, and the car movement began to fade in the ‘70s, Tony and his friends remained true to their enthusiasm for fast automobiles and music.  So, instead of drifting off into the experimental drug trend, Tony says that he continued to chase after his dreams and indulge himself in his passions.

“I just always loved cars,” he says. “And, I went to college to pursue music.”

But, little did Tony know what he was about to take on.

After college, Tony landed a gig at an FM radio station in Chicago.  But, it wasn’t too long before he was called into the station manager’s office to discuss his favorite brown leather jacket. 

“I was always a little different,” chuckles Tony.

He was told that he would be fired if he wore that jacket to work again, because it depicted a ‘bad guy’ image. But, Tony explained that it was merely a brown jacket, stood his ground and walked away from that job.  Tony wanted to be Tony: the Rock-and-Roll-loving, fast-car-driving guy he was.

Tony, now left without a job, was forced into some fast-thinking, in order to survive on his own.  It was at that point that he realized he had to sell one of his cars. 

The year was 1978, and he owned a 1969 Z28 and a 1972 Chevelle.  Tony had a special love for his Chevelle (He still owns it today!), so he opted to sell the Camaro. He says that he must have received 50 phone calls each day, once he put the car up for sale.

Tony recognized that he was onto something. People still loved these cars.  And, he knew he couldn’t live off the profit of selling his Camaro for long… so, he bought, fixed and flipped yet another Camaro.

“And, I’ve been in business since,” says Tony.

Since ’78, Tony says that he has purchased and sold over 5000 specialty vehicles out of his Chicago-based business. And, over time, the business has transformed into more than just a local car dealership.

In the mid-90’s, Tony jumped on the Internet bandwagon (before there really even was such a bandwagon) and started www.classicmusclecars.com.  And, from that Web site, he began selling his vehicles to people across the country. 

“When I get my hands on something, I put my whole heart and soul into it,” he says.  “I put myself into it deep.  I saw a vision of what it was going to be.”

And today, his vision has become a reality.  Not only are people from all over the U.S. visiting Tony’s site, but people across the globe come to www.classicmusclecars.com and his club site, www.musclecarclub.com.

“We have members from Europe, Canada and Australia. Some are from Japan and the Middle East,” he continues. “Cars are everywhere. There has been a big movement with these cars, and I had no idea that there were that many cars all over the world.”

With a special online club forum on www.musclecarclub.com, Tony’s Web site has brought together over 5000 classic muscle car enthusiasts from across the globe.

“And we’re growing each day,” he says.

Now… thinking back to Tony’s philosophy on the collector car hobby, maybe (just maybe) he has taken us a step closer to world peace!

Story by: Becky McLaughlin

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