This one is for sale! Opelika, Alabama owner, Gage Woodall, shows off his 1978 Lincoln Continental Mark V with his son, Jameson, by his side. The long, blue beauty is a three owner. The original owner kept it parked beside her house for decades. Gage drove it to Lineville, Alabama recently for the annual Clay County Car Show on November 2, 2025. A “FOR SALE” sign was propped up on the Lincoln’s dash! This reminded us of the recent Mark V that we found at a pull-your-own-parts junkyard. (See that here)
Sale Details/Contact:1978 Lincoln Continental Mark V
Rocco & Cheater’s Speed Shop is closing forever! Watch Junkyard Life walk thru Rocco & Cheater’s stash of vintage parts in Birmingham, Alabama. After almost 80 years strong, the Sanfilippo family is selling the building and liquidating the vintage speed parts inventory. We spoke to Jean Sanfilippo, widow of Mimi Sanfilippo, about the end of an era. Her husband, Mimi, was one of the brothers who founded the legendary Speed Shop in Birmingham, Alabama. Mimi passed away in 2018 and the remaining inventory has been sitting for almost 20 years. The business started as a Rocco & Cheater’s garage in 1946 and grew into the current location and larger shop in 1962. Whether it was round tracks or drag racing — gear heads knew this building had the parts to go fast.
Why did they close?
Eventually, the internet and cheap foreign parts took precedent over know how and local family loyalty. Around 2007, the Speed Shop closed daily operations. For many years the parts gathered dust. When old gear heads would inquire about the locked building full of parts, the Sanfilippo’s would open up the doors and sell a few parts. David Newbern, of MotorTrend/YouTube fame, heard the recent news that the family was selling everything and showed up for a tour and a video. Newbern spread the word to Mike Finnegan and David Freiburger formerly of Hot Rod Magazine, MotorTrend TV, and now YouTube celebrity. They decided to drive the 1971 Datsun 240Z, aka the Rotsun, to Alabama from California to tour the shop, meet fans and sign autographs. A camera crew filmed their exploits and posted a video to each of their channels.
Mike Finnegan drove the Rotsun up to the front door of Rocco & Cheater’s Speed Shop with David Freiburger riding shotgun. A large crowd awaited the duo’s arrival in Birmingham, Alabama
Fans and Customers everywhere
We showed up at Rocco & Cheater's to look inside the historic speed shop on Sunday, April 27, 2025. We were blown away at how much was left to buy. Tons of wheels, carbs, pistons, filters, distributors, tachometers, and aftermarket do-dads. David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan arrived about an hour-and-a-half later than expected but the crowd continued to grow in expectation. They roared when the YouTube stars crawled out of the Rotsun.
Many fans drove their old hot rod to get their car’s trunk or dash signed by Freiburger & Finnegan or bought something from Rocco & Cheater’s to commemorate the closing of a part of Birmingham’s automotive history.
Were you there? What did you think of the video? Were you at Rocco & Cheater’s with the Rotsun or in the glory days? Tell us what you think in a comment!
Jody Potter – Junkyard Life: The Story Beneath the Rust
Mike Finnegan and David Freiburger sign autographs for fans at Rocco & Cheater’s Speed Shop in Birmingham, Alabama on April 27, 2025.
Sting me! Chris Echols of Montgomery, Alabama was stung by a 1987 Nissan Be-1. Not a real bumblebee but a Be-1 model from Nissan’s “Pike Factory” designers. Echols and his wife are huge fans of Japanese Bubble Cars. So much so, that they own three different models. A Figaro, Pao, and the Be-1. In the late-1980s Japanese automakers were riding a wave booming business (the bubble, so to speak) and Nissan, led by industrial designer Naoki Sakai, unleashed throwback designs with a futuristic flair for simplicity. The goal for these new city cars was to blend fashion and design to compete with Honda. Owners lined up to grab one in Japan. For fans in the United States, a 25 year wait was in order. Echols scooped his 1987 Nissan Be-1 from a seller in Florida.
Echols loves to drive his classic JDM. He wheeled it more than 100 miles to a cars and coffee in Leeds, Alabama. His Be-1 attracted a lot of attention from curious onlookers to hardcore JDM fans. Magic City Octane presented Echols with the “Pick of the Show” award as I was wrapping up my interview with him.
Thanks for watching!
Jody Potter
— Junkyard Life: The Story Beneath the Rust
SAVE? A 1955 Chevy survivor grab our attention as we stumbled down a dead end street in Pleasant Grove, Alabama. A vacant house and unkempt yard gave us clues that the ’55 Chevy 210 2-door sedan had been parked for decades. We looked under the hood at the trim tag and learned that it was originally two-tone with Sea Mist Green / Neptune Green paint code. The original Chevy small block, a 265-cubic inch V8, debut in 1955. Many other firsts for Chevy in 1955, including the 12-volt electrical system, and a distributor that was stationed at the rear of the block by the firewall. Was this Tri-Five worth saving????
Jody Potter
– Junkyard Life: The Story Beneath the Rust.
Do you have a car story? Near miss story? Send us details and we’re on the way! Send emails to Jody Potter at junkyardbull@gmail.com
This 1955 Chevy 210 2-door sedan called to us from a dilapidated covered patio in Alabama. What was the story? We wanted to know. Watch the video for details. Worth saving? You decide!
Oh no! Three sisters were getting off the school bus in Royalton, Wisconsin when a truck smashed into them. Driver never slowed down. The sisters dad, Shane Kreuscher, says Vera, 5, was thrown out of bus and rolled onto the pavement. Her older twin sisters, 13, Danee and Amya, were slammed around in the stairwell.
“God was looking out”
“I don’t know how this dude is alive, he moved that bus about 30 feet. There was one other kid on the bus that was in the front seat and seems ok. The bus driver was ok and (truck) driver who was pinned in the truck didn’t seem to have a scratch on him. I was by the window and heard the crash. I saw the front of the bus way further than it normally stops and knew what happened. I rushed outside to this (crash scene). God was looking out for these kids for sure.”
The youngest sister was thrown out of the bus and hit the pavement. Luckily she only suffered some scrapes, bumps and bruises All three sisters were checked and released at the emergency room.
The driver of truck was not arrested but the accident is under investigation. The bus was stopped and the bus driver did have flashers on.
Rescue?
Shane rushed to his daughter’s to check on their injuries. Miraculously, no one was seriously injured. A few scraps and bruises were the only visible injuries. Next, Shane attempted to reach truck’s driver. A window was broken to try and assist truck driver removal but was unable to get him out. A crow bar was used to pry the door open. The driver was unharmed. Not even a scratch.
The sisters and all involved will carry this ordeal with them for the rest of their lives. We can only speculate the cause but we can all learn from this.
Chevy Silverado driver was pulled from wreckage unharmed.
The truck was destroyed after running into school bus.
Speed limit on this road is 35 MPH.
In the video (above) it looks as though the truck never slowed.
The school bus is built to withstand crashes and protect the occupants. This damage is small compared to truck. Most importantly, the three sisters escaped without serious injury. The girls, twins, age 13, and five-year-old sister, were exiting the stopped bus.
Be Safe School Bus Tips
A short delay when you encounter a school bus is always worth your patience.
If you see a School Bus, Pay Attention.
If School Bus lights are flashing Yellow, Slow Down.
If School Bus lights are flashing Red, Stop!
Do not pass a stopped School Bus with Red Flashing lights and Stop Sign displayed.
Our future depends on driver safety. Seat Belts, albeit important, would not have helped in this situation for the three sisters exiting school bus. When students board and exit a school bus they have no protection.
Let’s Do Better. Drive safe!
Share this video. Spread the Message!
Jody Potter
— Junkyard Life: The Story Beneath the Rust
Do you have a car story? Near miss story? Send us details and we’re on the way! Send emails to Jody Potter at junkyardbull@gmail.com
