STORY BY MATT AVERY • PHOTOS BY DANIEL HATCHETT AND ZAC CLIFF he’d throw a leg over his bike and pedal to Lex Mayer’s Chevrolet near his family’s home in Columbus, Ohio. There, he’d press his nose against the showroom’s glass windows, and with wide eyes, he’d take in the latest gleaming Detroit iron on display. Those trips left a big impression on the ambitious youngster, A and later, when Mauk entered high school and was needing some wheels, he purchased a used 1967 Camaro. Content for a while, his imagination was further fueled by a neighbor down the street. “They bought a new 454 Chevelle and had put chrome Cragar SS wheels on it,” Mauk recalled. “When they pulled into their driveway, I couldn’t help but think, that’s a good-looking car!” Quite smitten and desiring one of his own, Mauk went and bought his first new car: his very own Chevelle, packing the legendary 454 CI V-8. RIGHT AT HOME For the next couple of years, Mauk rumbled along in the pavement bruiser, transitioning to the working world by helping with his dad’s business of building custom homes. Mauk was just 22 when his father passed away, and having learned the tools of the trade, he took over finishing the houses that were underway at the time. Mauk kept at it for the next seven years, building some 80 custom homes in total. When the mortgage rates went sky-high in 1979, the craftsman found that to be “plenty good reason to get out” and begin thinking about a career change. s a teen growing up in the Midwest during the 1960s, Jeff Mauk had a favorite activity. During any spare moment, “I knew guys at a local Chevy dealership,” Mauk explained, adding that he would bump into them regularly around town during the lunch hour. “Because of my automotive interests, they were always trying to get me to come work with them selling cars. Finally, I was ready and made the move.” Mauk stayed at that dealership for another six years before continuing his career at Jack Masten’s Chevrolet. He diligently worked his way up to management, eventually becoming general manager before purchasing the location outright in 2003. He stayed at the location and with the brand until retiring just last year, working for Chevrolet for 40 years in total. PASTIME PASSION That deep-running brand loyalty spilled over into Mauk’s off- hours as well, and he ultimately spent two decades building an impressive collection of Chevrolet muscle composed of motoring memories and machines from his youth: Camaros and Chevelles. Extensive time was spent scouring the nation for top candidates to rescue, restore and bring back to like-new condition. Mauk and his crew began with a wide range of starting points with discoveries happening coast to coast. Some were rollers, others drivers, while still more were a bit of a challenge. Examples of the latter include a Chevelle pulled from a 20-year stint in a lonely field outside of Cincinnati, while another find in Indiana fit in a box truck because it was completely dissembled. Still, no matter how they started, the end result has always been the same—ultimately, they were each transformed into a pristine piece of preserved, classic American muscle.
