Tour company offering classic cars for Route 66 trips

From Route 66 News:  Tour company offering classic cars for Route 66 trips



A new, North Carolina-based tour company is offering a novel way to see Route 66 — by renting a classic car for the 2,400-mile trip.
Blacktop Candy’s is offering an upgraded 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air, 1966 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, or 1967 Camaro Super Sport for 18-day tours (both eastbound and westbound) from April through September in 2013. The vehicles come with Garmin navigation devices to guide travelers down the Mother Road.
According to the news release:

With Blacktop Candy’s, gone is the fixed schedule opting instead for flexibility. Travelers drive at their own pace between the nightly stops and see as many or as few attractions as they choose, free to enjoy the perfect journey reliving America’s golden past. A tour adviser and qualified mechanic accompany each tour in a spare vintage auto just in case there are questions or a mechanical issue.
“We’ve restored each vintage car in our fleet to better-than-new condition,” commented CEO and Founder Scott Shinn when asked about the condition of the cars. “I’ve personally driven most of these cars cross-county without an issue. Upgrades like power disc brakes, aluminum radiators, air-conditioning and modern audio with Bluetooth allow our clients to relive the heyday of automobile travel knowing they’re driving a safe, well maintained vehicle.”

The $11,900 fee also includes overnight stays at historic lodging establishments, including the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, N.M.; El Rey Inn in Santa Fe, N.M.; El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, N.M., Hotel Monte Vista in Flagstaff, Ariz., Wigwam Motel in San Bernardino, Calif., and the Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica, Calif.
The fee may sound steep. However, it’s likely a fair number will jump at the chance of driving the length of Route 66 in a classic American automobile.
According to the company’s website, the idea came during a Route 66 trip itself:

Scott Shinn and his wife Candi longed to trade the stresses of corporate life for a fun and exciting entrepreneurship. During a road trip along Route 66, they thought “Wouldn’t this be fun in a classic car?”
They searched for ways to make the trip in a classic car, but couldn’t find what they were looking for. So, they created the perfect road trip with Blacktop Candy’s — not just for themselves, but for you too!

Blacktop Candy’s website also indicates it is considering other tours, including U.S. 1, Pacific Coast Highway, Great River Road, a national parks excursion, and Washington, D.C., to New Orleans.