Cars Need Homes, Too

Creation of The Sanctuary

by: MAureen hAddoCK

Anita and Flynn Skot built a 2400-square foot dream home for their family–that is, their family of Corvette cars. The building was underway to welcome the cars, due to be transported from Calgary to the Corman Park area near Saskatoon.

When the Skots decided to relocate, they made a checklist of decisions that needed to be made about their semi-retirement interests and car collection. Flynn, who bought his first Corvette in 1980 and grew his collection to include 18 cars, intimated that he was unable to give so many vehicles the attention and maintenance they required to keep them road-ready. He decided to downsize his collection to eight Corvettes and build them “the sanctuary they deserve.” That’s exactly what they decided to name it.

a Decades-old Passion

Flynn’s passion for restoring cars began back in high school when he and a buddy rented a garage to work on their own vehicles and make some money on the side doing repairs for others. This shop fueled his love for “survivor” cars, those oldies but goodies with original parts, paint and upholstery. Flynn’s love for Corvettes was ignited when, at age 16, he loaned his 1973 Chevelle to his cousin who was getting married. In exchange, Flynn drove his cousin’s 1970 Corvette for three days. The cousin still owns that Corvette and Flynn would welcome it into his collection, should it ever become available.

Anita says Flynn is the driving force behind the collection of Chevy vehicles, but she has her 2012 Carlisle Blue Grand Sport Corvette convertible parked in the driveway. Anita’s eyes sparkle as she tells the story of seeing the car when it was premiered at a Corvette Car Show in 2011. She remembers whispering under her breath, “I think I need this car.” Of course, Flynn heard her and when they saw one at a dealership in Atlanta, Georgia several months later, Flynn enthusiastically put in motion the time-consuming

details involved in bringing her car home. Her license plate indicates it was worth the effort: HPY WFE.

Anita was interested in vehicles before she married Flynn in 1990, but as he says, “I just convinced her that it is Corvettes she really loves.” Her Grand Sport Corvette is a relatively rare model because the colour was considered, by some, to be a bit too feminine and was discontinued after one year. Of course, it holds a place in The Sanctuary.

The ultimate Display Space

Over the years, Flynn has renovated three different shops to house his evergrowing collection. The spaces were never perfect for the cars nor for his love of restoring vehicles. Making do with existing shop spaces has equipped Flynn for creating a home specifically for maintaining and enjoying this carefully curated collection.

Flynn started this building project by drawing a sketch which included the musthaves and a wish list beyond those basics. After some searching to find the right builder, he chose Luke Unger from Zak’s Building Group to create blueprints and do subcontracting. Luke and project manager Jarrett Donahue were hired to provide a turnkey building, with the Skots planning to personalize it themselves.

Flynn says he collects “cool stuff” and changed the truss spacing from 48” to 24” for added strength to hang items like vintage signs, old boat motors and other collectibles. This will be an ever-evolving space because, the couple admits, there is always an auction or a show to attend.

Flynn and Anita are delighted with their factory-build experience.

The Skots have a delightful give-and-take in conversation and share a passion for their dogs, the outdoors, travel, adventure and Corvettes. Flynn admits he loves the speed and the technology of new cars, but he gravitates to survivors, which along with original paint, interiors and drivetrains, have interesting life stories.

Flynn is a survivor, too, says Anita. She says he thinks of the car collection as a form of insurance, since he is uninsurable. Flynn is a survivor of kidney failure, and Anita happily gave him one of hers. They talk about their difficult journey in restoring Flynn’s health in much the same way they talk about the restoration history of their survivor vehicles. They love a good story with a happy ending. That may be one reason they have designated a portion of The Sanctuary for people. In this space, they can relax alone or with friends.

Anita’s Carlisle Blue 2012 Grand Sport still makes her smile.

Parked in their new home, from left to right: Bridgehampton Blue 1971 LT-1, Classic White 1971 LT-1, Bright Yellow 1971 LT-1, Anita’s Carlisle Blue 2012 Grand Sport Corvette.

a Place for a Pit Stop

The relaxation area is perfect for storytelling or daydreaming. It has a retro vibe created by the recycled barn wood that Flynn purchased from a Saskatchewan farmer. This look is in perfect contrast to the 75-inch TV where they can watch car auctions and races.

The area features a desk, comfy chairs, a fridge, a working 1950s Coke machine and other vintage and personal memorabilia, such as the book about the Skots’ factory-build experience. They watched every step of the assembly of their 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Collectors Edition convertible which happens to be number 713 out of the 935 that were built. It has a Watkins Glen Grey exterior with a mesmerizing Adrenaline Blue interior.

The walls in the rest of the building are covered in white, easy-clean, durable, carwashquality panelling which is perfect for hanging vintage signs. Flynn hopes to keep the decor sleek, by hiding car parts inside vintage items like his non-working Coke machines.

The Functional Shop

Accessibility is of the utmost importance when building a home for working cars. There are two rows of four cars, one in front of the other.

Flynn purchased two lifts from Brian at RPM Auto in Saskatoon, so two of the front row cars can be lifted to allow cars in the back to drive through. The lifts can be moved to suit the task at hand.

The 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Collectors Edition convertible is number 713 out of the 935 manufactured.

There is a well-ventilated restoration room for messy work like sanding and painting. This shop has a huge garage door, as well as a people door to The Sanctuary. Flynn loves restoring vehicles and doing regular car maintenance.

The Sanctuary has exceptional LED lighting and lots of electrical outlets, some close to the ceiling and others at the four-foot level.

Good lighting is essential when doing fine mechanical work and shows the details of the cars well. The Sanctuary has radiant heat, and the humidity is controlled with dual sensors connected to fans.

The Skots had planned to choose flooring in Chevy’s blue and yellow corporate colours, but, after visiting Autobox Garage Interiors, they chose a commercial coating in Tuxedo Tech, Red and Light Grey.

It felt like Christmas for the Skots when their well wrapped 2017 Collectors Edition convertible, which they watched being built, arrived at the dealership.

These fraternal triplets are all 1971 Chevrolet Corvette LT-1s. The blue LT-1 below was Flynn’s first of the three, but when he heard about the others living so close for decades he had to get them back together. This coating can’t be applied until the cement is well-cured so it will be completed at a later date.

Rolling Down the Red Carpet

The cars arrived one by one like celebrities, some chauffeured by Flynn and others by his car buddies.

Flynn was particularly happy to welcome his fraternal triplets. All three 1971 Chevrolet Corvette LT-1s came to life during the last three days of that model run, 50 years ago, and remained within 15 miles of the dealership for decades. Flynn bought the first one in 2012, a Bridgehampton Blue beauty, with only 16,000 original miles on it. When he learned about the other two, the chase was on to reunite them in a perfect ending. It took him five years and many emails and phone calls, but the triplets are together again and will reside in The Sanctuary.

There are two things that are clear about the Skots.

Firstly, to them a car home needs almost everything a family home needs and building it requires all the same tradespeople and more.

Secondly, Flynn loves the thrill of the hunt and is always on the alert for vehicles of interest. In fact, the Skots have a 1971, green Corvette convertible with tan interior and a white roof on their wish list.

Keeping this collection in check will take a great deal of discipline. But maybe just one more addition looms in their future.