Home on edge of Reading destroyed in overnight blaze

Jun. 12—At 14 years old, Pat McGinty bought his first car.

It wasn't just any car.

It was a 1967 Mustang, decked out with the classically sporty styling and deeply thrumming V8 engine that came to dominate the "pony car" scene.

McGinty paid in cash, with four years' worth of money he'd saved from cutting grass. He then spent another two years restoring the car to working order.

At age 16, McGinty lived out the automotive fantasy of many a high schooler.

"(The Mustang) was the oldest car in the high school parking lot, but it was the coolest one," said McGinty. "I just grew up loving cars."

Now, at age 44, McGinty has again combined his work ethic and passion for cars to revamp a classic commodity. In June 2022, McGinty reopened the former Oldsmobile Company of Reading building as McGinty Motorcars, a dealership that specializes in classic and unique vehicles.

The building

The structure at 1041 Washington Street in Reading was built in 1910 by the city as a horse drawn trolley depot but became an Oldsmobile dealership in 1921.

"It just has so much character and history," McGinty said of the building. "We've really made it our home."

McGinty, a Morgantown native, said he closed his old dealership in Bucks County to open a shop closer to his family.

His site in Reading now boasts nearly 6,100 square feet of garage space, in addition to a 1,000-square-foot showroom and office — which McGinty has restored since buying the site.

McGinty said he installed a lift in the garage, and underwent an extensive cleaning of the original glass, showroom, and floor, as well as a redecoration that captures the site's vintage vibe.

"We've hung a lot of real classic antique tags, license plates, signs," McGinty said. "Everything is old and has patina; I just put a gas pump in the front, I've got the front end of a '57 Chevy with the lights on."

The showroom

The building's main draw is undeniably its showroom, which hosts an inventory like no other.

Cars on offer at McGinty cover a range of periods, styles, and types. The store's inventory includes defining classics like a 1930 Ford Model A Coupe, a 1969 Volkswagen Beetle, and a 1992 Corvette Targa top.

A handful of performance legends also rest on McGinty's showroom floor with deceptive calm, like a 1993 Toyota Supra with a large turbo kit and extra-strong forged internals, as well as a 2014 Roush Edition Mustang GT that has nearly three times the horsepower of an average sedan.

He said he leaves the showroom open to the public, and anyone is welcome to stop in.

"We have a lot of the neighbors come in, the kids want to see what we have," McGinty said. "Everybody's just blown away."

Despite their impressive features, McGinty said it is the stories unique to each car he buys that truly captivate him.

"When I buy them, getting those stories, how long they've owned them, the memories they've had in them," McGinty said. "I love telling the stories of how I got the car and the history of the car to the next customer."

McGinty said his store ships all over the U.S., which gives him the chance to get to know a vast array of customers.

"We're just really making people's dreams come true with a classic car," McGinty said. "I love hearing 'I had this car, I got married, my wife and I had to sell it. Now I'm 70 and it's my turn to treat myself.'"

Inventory selling fast

Due in part to that nationwide exposure, McGinty said his inventory is constantly turning over.

"I've got 5 cars coming in next week. A '73 Volkswagen Convertible, I'm driving down to Rehoboth Beach to get an 86' Jaguar," McGinty said. "I go out in my tow truck, load up with Wawa coffee, and hit the road with some good jams on."

McGinty said he thinks much of his store's success has to do with transparency.

"We do 80 plus photos of the car. I do pictures underneath the car. I do Facetime with the customers, I show them everything," McGinty said.

He noted that McGinty Motorcars started as a solo operation last year, but he's since been able to hire staff, including Robert Delgado, a bilingual operations manager, and mechanic Tim "MacGyver" Griesser.

"That guy can fix anything," McGinty said of Griesser. "There was a '65 Ford Thunderbird, the back-end relays fell apart. He took the thing apart with all the springs like a clock and rebuilt it. The guy is just amazing with these classic cars."

McGinty said he hopes to make Reading his home for a long time.

"It's just really taking off. We've had a great response from the city and the customers, I've got the right vendors around me." McGinty said. "I can't wait for what the next year brings."

In addition to its classic inventory, McGinty also sells everyday cars, buys cars, and offers consignment deals that advertise and sell customers' cars for 20% of the final sale price.