When Rick Vaal was a child, he had an unusual talent: He could identify the make of a car simply by listening to its motor. “A Chevy. A Ford. A Pontiac,” he would say, as vehicles from several blocks away suddenly came into view. His buddies were duly impressed.
A native of Jasper, Indiana, Vaal grew up in the 1960s in a farming family that had a passion for cars. Some of his fondest memories involve visiting the local Sinclair gas station on Friday nights, accompanying his uncles who were sprucing up their cars for Saturday night dates. Vaal eventually ran a business creating and selling vehicle cleaners, polishes, and waxes. At the same time, he started an impressive collection of vehicles, including cars, trucks, and tractors. His crown jewel is the very first car he owned, a 1966 Chevrolet Impala.
After 30 years, Vaal sold the business in 2020 but soon got restless; it’s a joke in his family that he can’t sit still. He spent a month in retirement before starting a car restoration company with his adult son, Eric, and his son-in-law, Logan. Sadly, Eric died in an automobile collision about a year later, which changed the direction of Vaal’s life completely.
“I started thinking about my parents, siblings, and long-term friends who live in Jasper,” he says. “I decided to move back to Indiana to share time with the ones I care about.” Although he has a summer house in Florida, Jasper is now his main residence.
The challenge for Vaal was that he still had 20-plus vehicles in Florida, and he needed somewhere to store them in Jasper. A built-from scratch facility would meet his needs, but a dull storage space was not what he had in mind. “I wanted everywhere you looked to be different,” Vaal says. The garage also would showcase his other collections, such as Coca-Cola memorabilia, old gas station signs, M&M-themed items, Radio Flyer wagons, and miniature diecast cars and trucks. “I’m a toy-aholic,” Vaal laughs.
About two years ago, work began on the 7,700-square-foot building on the south side of Jasper. The exterior nods to his childhood with a Sinclair gas station theme, featuring old-style gas pumps and nostalgic signage. Inside, a quick glance around reveals a Corvette wheel glass table, a vintage Pizza Hut sign, a ’57 Chevy couch, a handmade banister made of crank and cam shafts, and hundreds of distinctive features. The centerpiece is a wall-sized reproduction of a historic Mail Pouch Tobacco barn ad.
Construction continues on My Sixty 6 Garage — named for Vaal’s first car. He reconnected with old Jasper friends and classmates, several of whom have lent their talents on various aspects of the project. Many tease him about his self-described tendency to “accidentally” purchase items at vendor malls or estate sales.
When asked if he’d ever open the building as a museum, Vaal shakes his head no. “I’m retired now, and I like to come and go on my own schedule,” he says, although he’s happy to talk with anyone who stops by when he’s on site. He jokes that it’s free to come in, but it costs $20 to leave, a line that always gets a laugh from visitors.
Vaal’s good nature has helped him take on this massive project in spite of the events that brought him to this point. “I’m not glad of the circumstances, but I’m glad I’m back in Southern Indiana,” he says. “Sometimes, ‘accidents’ can be happy.”
