Landmark auto shop changes hands in Floyd - Rome Sentinel

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Though it’s changing hands and changing names, New Floyd Road will still be home to a repair shop run by a passionate owner.

Cole Auto Repair Shop in Rome was originally owned by Malcolm Cole — who spent 41 years in the industry. Now the business is changing hands as 22-year-old Alex Van Dyke has purchased the property with plans on keeping the business running for a long time to come.

Van Dyke said one of the main reasons why he bought the property from Cole was to keep the inspection station within the community. “It’s the only inspection station around this area in a good few miles,” he said.

When asked why he wanted to pursue this line of work, Van Dyke said he’s had a love for cars all his life — growing up around cars and fixing them. “I always wanted to pursue my love of cars and have a place to work on them so it made sense [to purchase the business],” he said. “Malcolm was here for 41 years. I hope to make it 41 years here as well.”

The building, at 7765 New Floyd Road, was originally opened as a Texaco station in 1955, according to Alex’s father, Scott. The building changed hands over to Cole around 1979 and is still in possession of the Texaco red stars that adorned the original station.

The business will be renamed to “Pegasus Motorcars,” which carries a special story with the family.

The Pegasus Custom Trans Am is special to Van Dyke as he is one of only a few people in the world who can claim ownership of the car Burt Reynolds used in his television series “B.L. Stryker”, a detective drama that aired from Feb. 13, 1989 to May 5, 1990. Three vehicles were used in the show, Scott said. One was an empty shell that was destroyed for the show, another used in the filming, and one used for media appearances. The last one is the one Alex owns.

“[My father and I] jumped back and forth with names and whether we use something like our family name,” Van Dyke said. “[The Pegasus Custom Trans Am] is near and dear to our hearts, so we ran with the name.”

And while the name has changed, Cole has been working closely with Van Dyke.

Besides leaving behind the old cash register and other knick-knacks, Van Dyke said Cole has given him his clientele list.

“I’m going to be reaching out to [the clientele] soon and let them know that we’re still here and we’re going to continue everything that Malcolm did,” Van Dyke said. “We’ll be continuing to do inspections and help anyone and everyone.”

Besides inspections, Van Dyke said he’d like to provide general vehicle maintenance, such as brakes, tires, oil changes, and other small repairs that can be made.

The 22-year-old entrepreneur said he knows the difficulties running a business during COVID will bring, but feels confident in the future of Pegasus Motorcars.

Van Dyke said he’s looking to hire a full-time mechanic as soon as he can open the doors for business. At the moment, renovations are needed on the property, so Van Dyke said he couldn’t give a specific time frame when Pegasus Motor Cars would be open.

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