No-kill car shelter in Philadelphia takes broken down cars and turns them into 'Mad Max'-style icons
- Check out this ‘No Kill Car Shelter’ in Philadelphia, US
- It’s turning worn-out, broken-down vehicles into Mad Max-style motors
- It sends no salvageable car to the junkyard and Instagram can’t get enough
Published on Sep 22, 2024 at 6:00 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Sep 20, 2024 at 6:22 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
The ‘No Kill Car Shelter’ in Philadelphia, US, is turning worn-out, broken-down vehicles into Mad Max-style cars.
As the name – sort of – suggests, it sends no salvageable car to the junkyard.
The garage’s 41.9K followers on Instagram can’t get enough.
However, its owner says that creating mean machines reminiscent of the V8 Interceptor and War Rig is a passion project he’ll continue whether people are watching or not.
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No Kill Car Shelter
Founder of No Kill Car Shelter, Brian Smith, hails from South Jersey employed several mechanics when he opened the shop eight years ago, and finds his projects via Facebook Marketplace or informal vehicle trades.
As well as cars inspired by the dystopian Mad Max saga, the team also works on vintage cars, such as the 1959 Cadillac Sedan Deville Smith recently put up for sale.
“It’s about keeping as many of these cars going as possible,” he told The Philadelphia Inquirer.
In fact, the shop’s motto of ‘Keeping Old Iron Alive,’ is all about keeping cars out of the scrapyard.
The Mad Max-inspired cars
A couple of the broken-down and restored cars that have enjoyed the most attention on social media are the Nomad Max (once a 1955 Chevy Nomad) and the Seneca (a 1960 Dodge Dart on top spliced atop a 1984 Chevy C30 Dually Dump Truck).
Smith mainly enjoys taking a banger into his garage and modifying it until it’s completely transformed.
Thankfully, people buy the resurrected cars, allowing Smith to afford parts and stay in business.
“We don’t do show cars,” Smith said of the ‘Deadbeaters Car Club’ he started with several friends bound by a love for cars that have seen better days.
His partner, business partner and social media manager, Sage Binder, said: “I never met anyone else with the same level of passion for cool old cars.”
Customer, Roberto Perez, said: “If you’re into old cars, and more importantly, keeping old cars on the road, they would be the place to look. They are living my dream.”
A 1929 Ford Model A pickup truck, a 1955 Pontiac, and a 1959 Ford Thunderbird are among the other cars recently worked on by the team.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
