Collecting the Classics

Center Grove Resident’s Unexplored Car Museum

Story | Ann Craig-Cinnamon,  Photos | John Cinnamon

Cars are more than a business for a long-time dealer and Center Grove resident. You know the name – Ray Skillman – and you know it’s associated with car dealerships. You’ve doubtless seen Ray himself in his TV commercials for the past 30 years, and you know that he likes to “stack ‘em deep and sell ‘em cheap.” But what you may not know is that Ray Skillman has lived in Center Grove for more than 30 years, he drives race cars, has a fabulous collection of classic cars (some that he has personally restored), and he is a man who contributes to the community.

We met Ray recently at his Classic Car “Museum” which is located behind his Ford dealership at 1250 US 31 South. The museum is in a huge, open warehouse setting with probably 100 cars displayed on the floor. There is everything from a 1954 Corvette to classic Kaisers, Deloreans, and even antique bicycles. Restored classic neon signs from such companies as Studebaker, Texaco, and Meadow Gold Ice Cream hang from the rafters and give you a sense of nostalgia instantly. Walking around with Ray looking at his collection, it becomes obvious that he loves cars. “You know, I guess I do. When I have any free time, I’m hangin’ out with cars. I’ve just always been a car nut,” he says.

His association with automobiles goes back to when he restored his first one at the age of 14. In 1960, he got into the car dealership business in his hometown of Owensboro, Kentucky. He moved to Indy in 1979 to become a partner in the Charlie Stuart Oldsmobile dealership. All these years later, he now has 15 different stores around Indianapolis with 900 employees. It’s also a family affair as several members of his family are heavily involved in the business including a daughter, a grandson, and three sons-in-law.

Ray started collecting classic cars in the mid 1980’s by buying a car here and a car there and often doing the restoration work himself. He built a 6-car garage at his Center Grove home to house some of his collection, and he had others scattered around friends’ houses and at his dealerships. The hobby was clearly getting out of control. “It’s either an extremely bad habit or an addiction or both. In addition, that’s the reason why we started trying to support our habit by selling a few of them from time to time, trying to make a little money. Some you win on, and some you lose,” he says.

That’s what led to the opening of the Classic Car Museum about 7 years ago. Since then, he says they’ve sold hundreds of classic cars -usually 70 or 80 a year since they know a place that does old car removals. Some are not for sale because he personally restored them and they have meaning to him. Others have been restored so perfectly that there is too much money tied up in them. “You know, I get mixed emotions every time I sell a car. Every time I sell a car, I wish I hadn’t sold the car.” He adds, “We kind of love all of them. Everybody asks me what’s your favorite car, and it really just kind of depends on the day. I’ll get in one sometime in the summer and drive it and say I don’t want to ever sell that car and then somebody will call…”

If the price is right, he will part with most of them. There’s a 1957 Corvette that he restored with a friend that’s not for sale. Then there’s the 1967 Shelby Mustang that arrived in pieces in three trailers. After chasing down parts and putting hours of labor into it, he says it’s not for sale because they can’t get their money out of it. Between the quality of the restoration and the rarity of the vehicle, Ray estimates that it’s worth $400,000. “So we don’t win every time we do these cars. A lot of it is a labor of love and then you kind of look back and say, ‘I wonder why I did that.’ I would advise anybody that wanted a nice collector car, don’t do it yourself; go buy the thing after it’s already been done.”

Next to the classic cars is a row of old and new race cars. One was driven by the Unsers, Mario Andretti, and A.J. Foyt. Ray, himself, has driven others. He drag races and has been on the NASCAR All Pro circuit, and will be traveling extensively for several weeks this summer racing around the country with his son and grandson in places like Chicago, Las Vegas, California, and here at Lucas Oil Raceway. He’s had his share of accidents over the years, breaking arms, ribs, and his neck, but nothing “life threatening” he claims. He also briefly owned an Indy car that was driven by Tony Bettenhausen in an Indianapolis 500 back in the ‘80’s. He became a race car owner rather accidentally, more out of friendship for Bettenhausen than a desire to be an Indy race car owner.

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Ray says he’s been lucky and, as a result, he has contributed to the community as well. His $1,000,000 donation to the Center Grove School Athletic Department paid for athletic fees that were set to kick in and that parents would have had to pay. The program he is most proud of is one they began many years ago called “Clothe a Child.” Skillman employees donate to the program weekly, and the company matches it dollar for dollar. Last year, the program clothed 950 children from head to toe. “We have done that through the help of all our employees. We believe in kids because they’re our future; our future customers, our future employees, legislators. So we kind of feel that it’s part of your crops – you’ve got to take care of them. We love being involved with schools,” he says.

As a highly-successful businessman, he could live anywhere but chooses to stay here. “I love Indianapolis, I love Center Grove. I like all of this area here. We’re fortunate enough, my wife and I, that if it gets real, real cold we can go somewhere it’s warm for a while. But we love seasons. And we still really care a lot about our business. We like our people. It’s fun. You know, my mother died thinking I didn’t have a real job. That is the truth. We just like this area. We don’t have a home in Florida or a home in Mexico, we just live here. But we’re fortunate enough with all the help from the 900 people that we employ that we can go somewhere nice and stay.”

Retirement is not in the picture either. “If I don’t want to come to work – and I come to work every day – but if my wife and I want to get in the car and go somewhere or get on an airplane and go somewhere, we can go do it; and they’d probably do better if I’d go away. But I really don’t want to because it’s still exciting, interesting, and it’s just what I love to do.”

Something else he loves to do is tool around in some of his classic cars. Look for him this summer in an updated 1957 Chevy Bel Air convertible that he’s planning to take off the museum floor and take home with him soon. You won’t be able to miss it on the road; it’s a beautiful car. All the cars are.

Ray Skillman’s Classic Car Museum is a little piece of history hidden away in an obscure building behind a car dealership in Greenwood. It’s a gem and worth a visit. The museum is free and open to the public and you just might catch Ray there. After all, he is addicted.

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Ann Craig-Cinnamon is a 30 year Radio & TV Broadcast veteran. You may recall her as the host of popular radio morning shows in Indianapolis for many years. She and her husband, John are also business owners. Her lifelong love of world travel led them to start a travel franchise, CruiseOne, in Center Grove. Ann is a writer, travel speaker and author of the book “Walking Naked in Tehran.”