Lebanon's Ragtop Picture Cars booms supplying cars for stars
David Tinsley once wanted to make it as an actor, but it’s his talent in the garage that has put his work alongside the biggest names in country music and the entertainment industry.
The Lebanon resident owns and operates Ragtop Picture Cars, which provides vehicles for videos, films, television shows, commercials and more .
Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw, Jack White, Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban, Reese Witherspoon are just a small sample of big-name artists who have used one of Tinsley’s fleet of approximately 130-150 vehicles for a video, photo shoot or other production.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be doing this,” Tinsley said. “A lot of it is I enjoy making these cars famous, so to speak. They all have character and personalities. (When they are in) a film or video, it’s something that will be around forever.”
Tinsley, who turned 55 Sunday , went to acting school in the 1980s, but his background is with cars, working in body shops and even racing several years at local tracks.
“That’s his passion,” says his wife, Diana, pointing to the property with cars and trucks scattered from all different time periods, including police cars, mail trucks, ambulances, even a news truck.
His big break
Tinsley’s break providing cars to stars happened in 1999 when he was driving his prize 1964 GTO on Nolensville Road in Nashville and was stopped by a man who asked if the car could be used for the music video for Brooks & Dunn's ‘"Missing You."
“Come to find out he was the only person in town doing that and he was on his way out of the business, and that kind of lit off a little bulb in my head,” Tinsley said.
Tinsley began slowly, doing a video or two a year and slowly adding vehicles while keeping his day job. Tinsley went full time and got his business license in 2007 after being asked to provide all the vehicles for a Neil Young movie documentary. Tinsley’s wife and son, Dustin, also work in the business.
Tinsley has provided vehicles for more than 2,000 videos, around 100 to 150 a year, for all levels of artists, plus other productions. Tinsley is getting more calls for movies; he’s providing nine vehicles for a remake of the movie "Dirty Dancing," in Asheville, N.C., and two years ago he furnished 18 vehicles for "Get on Up," a film about James Brown.
And if Tinsley doesn't have the vehicle a producer wants, he can usually provide it through connections with car clubs or other sources.
“He’s very tapped into the car community; a real magician when it comes to that,” said Eric Williams, a producer of "Still the King" premiering Sunday , on CMT, with Billy Ray Cyrus that is using a 1964 Buick LeSabre from Ragtop.
“Finding (time) period cars that work reliably is getting harder,” Williams said. “To have a person who can take that off your plate is worth their weight in gold.”
The cars
Tinsley gets vehicles from all different locations. He restores a few favorites to pristine condition such as a 1960 Buick LeSabre and 1965 Ford Mustang that Tinsley likes to show at local area cruise-ins.
But most of Ragtop's vehicles retain the look and wear of the time period they are from since that's often what a producer will want.
The oldest vehicle is a 1924 Ford Model T, with a steady supply that represents decades starting from the 1920s.
Police cars, ambulances, mail trucks and a news truck are all part of the inventory and Tinsley makes sure everything "starts and runs," with the only exception a 1931 Ford Model A kept as a visual.
Tinsley's Ragtop property in Lebanon, purchased in 2007, has also become a destination. There is a replica of an old-time gas station he built that is used as Ragtop's business office that has been the site for a Florida Georgia Line video.
An Alan Jackson video, a Ford commercial featuring members of the show "American Pickers," and a Josh Turner CD cover have also been shot on the property.
“It’s a great feeling being able to see your work …,” Tinsley said. “It’s a feeling of accomplishment, of pride."
Cars and stars
Some of the vehicles Ragtop Picture Cars in Lebanon and the stars who have used them:
1924 Ford Model T: Movies "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Water for Elephants," "The Identical."
1931 Ford Model A: Jack White for Rolling Stone magazine photo shoot.
1960 Buick LeSabre: Kellie Pickler, Dolly Parton videos.
1964 Cadillac: Carrie Underwood's "Two Black Cadillacs " video
1964 GTO: Brooks & Dunn, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Taylor Swift videos.
1965 Ford Mustang: Used by character Avery Barkley in TV show "Nashville."
1965 Ford pickup truck: "Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief."
1966 Ford station wagon: Lady Antebellum's "Love Don’t Live Here" video
1967 Pontiac LeMans: Thomas Rhett's "Crash and Burn" video; also used in movie "Deadline."
1976 Cadillac Eldorado: Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon for "Walk the Line" photo shoot. The car has been used for other Witherspoon shoots as well.
1977 Ford van: Kesha's "C’mon" video.
1983 Chevrolet 4x4 pickup truck, 1973 Volkswagen Beetle, 1967 Pontiac LeMans: Blake Shelton’s "Footloose" video.
1983 Chevy pickup: Dale Earnhardt Jr. for Quaker State commercial.
1989 Volvo: Used by character Scarlett O’Connor in TV shows "Nashville."
1998 Ford Crown Victoria (taxi cab): Gwyneth Paltrow in movie "Country Strong."
1999 Chevrolet Cavalier: Tim McGraw’s "Highway Don’t Care" video (car purposely crashed.)
For information on Ragtop Picture Cars visit ragtoppicturescars.com.
Reach Andy Humbles at 615-726-5939 and on Twitter @AndyHumbles.