Fun, fun, fun
PHOTO COURTESY FLEMING’S
Wheeling and dealing
with the help of the Web
28 ;e Costco Connection APRIL 2010
By Matthew Robb
IMAGINE CROSSING Tiffany & Co. jewelers
with the world of hot rodding and you’ll understand the high-octane buzz surrounding
Fleming’s Ultimate Garage.
Gleaming like gems under showroom
lights are some of the most dazzling muscle,
vintage and exotic cars ever built: classic
Camaros, Mustangs, Corvettes, GTOs, Road
Runners, Trans Ams—even Grandpa’s
souped-up 1928 Ford street rod. Here and
there, Europhiles will find rare Austin-Healeys, Maseratis and über-fast Porsche
911s, making this Rockville, Maryland,
landmark a who’s who of speed and swagger.
Tony and Monica Fleming launched
their company 10 years ago.
“I always owned some kind of classic
car,” Tony says. “After 20 years in the auto
business, I decided to chase my passion.”
On opening day, his inventory consisted
of a single car: a 1964 Corvette. “I pur-
chased that red convertible from an older
gentleman who wanted to give someone
else the chance to enjoy it,” he recalls. “I
sold it in my first 15 minutes, and then I
called my wife and said, ‘Honey, I’m head-
ing home.’ She said, ‘What’s wrong—not
selling well?’ I said, ‘I need more cars!’ ”
memories with the turn of a key. Company: Fleming’s Ultimate Garage Owners: Tony and Monica Fleming General manager: Matt Holtzman Employees:
13 Address: 1400 Rockville Pike Rockville, MD 20852 Phone: (301) 816-1000 E-mail:
tony@flemingsultimategarage.com Web site:
www.flemingsultimategarage.com Members since: 1995. The Flemings hop at the Fairfax, Virginia, and Gaithersburg, Maryland, warehouses. Comments about Costco: “If you see it at Costco, buy it, because you know it’s going to be the best price possible—and it may not be avail- able long.”—Monica Fleming member profile
If a curvy Shelby AC Cobra convertible doesn’t
send your heart into a fast and furious flutter, a legendary 1971 Hemi Barracuda or supercharged 1969
Camaro Z28 certainly will. But act fast. When the
sales light turns green, the rarest finds are gone in a
flash, thanks to a savvy clientele scattered from
Australia to Scandinavia to the Middle East. “Boys
and their toys,” laughs Monica.
“Today our clientele is 95 percent men, but pur-
chasing a $30,000 to $40,000 car tends to be a hus-
band-wife decision,” explains Tony. Financing gives
average Joes “a lot of entertainment for $300 to $500
a month,” he notes. “When you slide behind the
wheel, you leave behind the craziness of modern life.
It takes you back to a better, more peaceful time.”
If you’re wondering what price a nearly 40-year-
old, lime green Hemi ’Cuda commands, brace your-
self, Mad Max. Tony recently parted company with
one for $100,000—one of the most expensive cars
on his lot, at the time.
“Hollywood tries to borrow from us, but we
aren’t in the rental business,” says general manager
Matt Holtzman. “We are dedicated to the preserva-
tion of our nation’s automotive history. This is
Americana.”
Besides hot products, what are the keys to
Fleming’s success? Here are some tips.
• Quality is job number one. For a perfect
turnkey experience, focus on customer service prior
to the sale. “Before a car leaves our showroom,” Tony
says, “we give it a two-hour, front-to-back, nearly
100-item final check. It needs to be the best it can
