CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Patrick Nichols’ phone never stops ringing. Whether through emails, text messages or phone calls, Nichols is always receiving tips about hidden muscle cars across the country.
“I hunt cars and find cars any way a person can imagine,” the Clarksville man said. “In what I do, there’s really not a lot of luck to it, because I travel all over social media, I answer emails every day; there’s a lot that goes into finding this stuff.”
His dedication and preparation have helped him find success as a barn-find car hunter since his teenage years. One of his most recent discoveries ranks among the top-five across his career.
In January, Nichols began an email correspondence with an individual about a car in Virginia. The vehicle in question – a 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle – had been parked since 1977. The Chevelle’s engine, aluminum cylinder heads and Daytona Yellow color make it one of the rarest cars in the nation.
“It’s a top dog,” Nichols said. “So far, this is the only Malibu two-door sport coupe version, Daytona yellow, L78, L89 ever found.”
After exchanging information with the owner, Nichols traveled to Old Dominion to purchase the car and transported it back to Clarksville.
The car enthusiast claims there were only 400 Chevelles manufactured with the Regular Production Codes L78 and L89. Its alternating hues of light yellow and dark orange add to its rarity, placing the vehicle in a class of nearly 3,000 in the super-sport shade.
Nichols, who has gained over 22 million cumulative views on his YouTube channel, doesn’t plan on selling the Chevelle anytime soon. He cares more about documenting each step of what he calls a “fulfilling” car-finding career and bringing a greater awareness of muscle cars to the Midstate.
“It just started out as just trying to show people and educate people,” he said. “Those videos are great, because a lot of guys get an education from my videos.
“When it comes to cool cars, there’s nothing cooler than those muscle cars. Even in Hollywood, when they want to portray the toughness (and) the coolest, they’ll pretty much bypass anything modern … there’s nothing like that, when it comes to an old muscle car. There just isn’t.”