Back to the Future

Gary Weaver knows how to attract
a good crowd. As he stands at least 50 feet away from his project, he proudly
folds his arms and allows the onlookers to take in his work. The kids marvel at
all the little gadgets attached to the time machine replica while all the
adults relive a little piece of their own childhood. As the doors to the
well-known movie car lift upward to the sky, you can vividly imagine Michael J.
Fox and a crazy white-haired scientist as they try to fix history by traveling Back
to the Future. Weaver is used to getting this response everywhere he goes. As
he talks about the fan reactions that he receives after taking trips to the gas
station or a fast-food drive-thru, you’re quickly reminded that the DeLorean is
a cultural icon. “Everybody loves it,” says Weaver. “It creates chaos wherever
you take it.”

Weaver started making fan-based
movie prop replicas as a hobby. “Car restoration came about as an extension of
prop building.” His hobby expanded into automobiles ten years ago when he
bought his first DeLorean and decided to do a replica of the Back to the Future
time machine. “My first replica was built in a year and we sold it off. I’ve
had this one for seven years.” Putting an exact replica of the time machine
together can be a long and strenuous project. The machine is filled with
wiring, small gadgets and other novelties that true film fanatics look forward
to seeing. Weaver says that the build process for the time machine takes two
years or longer to complete. The extended hours that Weaver puts into the car
are definitely worth the positive reactions that he receives from movie fans.
“Running a simple errand becomes an adventure. Whenever I go out, there are
tons of people taking pictures.”

Weaver’s road to mass acclaim
wasn’t as quick as Doc’s travel through time. He started off in a single-car
garage, but as his passion grew, so did his network. After meeting Chris Roush
and Adam Lee, the three car enthusiasts decided to combine their resources to
build more parts and re-create more famous movie props. Roush was working on
numerous car restoration projects at his house, but he needed a larger
workspace. In June 2011, he opened a car shop, Roush Imports. “We do general
automotive repair and restoration, mostly on imports—European and Asian cars,”
says Roush. The shop has also become a hang-out spot for the three as they work
and share their passion of car restoration. With a little encouragement from
Weaver, Lee and Roush have also seen their love of car restoration transform
into elaborate prop movie rebuilds. One of Lee’s main projects has been a jeep
replica from Jurassic Park. “It’s a hobby, but an expensive one,” says Lee.
“For the sake of my marriage, I don’t keep track,” jokes Weaver. While the Jurassic
Park jeep was a $10,000 job, the Back to the Future time machine can range from
$50-$60,000.

If they’re not hanging out at
Roush Imports, you can find the trio showing off their replicas at Coffee &
Cars OKC—a local event where car owners meet up to display their cars and sip on
coffee. “We had a group of people following our cars,” says Weaver. “Everyone
had a smile! I think everyone has a history with the replicas.” Weaver would
love to travel back into time and take on the 1989 Batmobile, but that project
would take a great deal of time and expense. “If I built one, I’d be sleeping
in it,” says Weaver. “I just enjoy doing what I do. One line in Back to the
Future is ‘if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.’ That’s
what I did!”

Find more information about Roush
Imports at roushimports.com or call 285-0781.