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Muscle car business to locate in Muncie

Myers Performance Engineering says it plans to relocate its business into this vacant building in Muncie. (photo courtesy: Keith Roysdon)

MUNCIE, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — The owner of Myers Performance Engineering in the Delaware County town of Yorktown has announced plans to establish his muscle car business, including its world headquarters, in a historic building in downtown Muncie.

Steve Myers says he worked with economic development officials to acquire the nearly 100-year-old building that served as a garage for decades.

“The automobile played a big part in our lives, but as we grew, that’s gotten away. A lot of cars look the same. I want to help bring back car culture in Delaware County,” said Myers.

In addition to Myers Performance Engineering, Myers says the building will house also a parts shop for classic hot rods and a collection of classic cars.

The East Central Indiana Regional Planning District says the structure is deeply rooted in the auto space, having served as an auto garage, a municipal office, even a bakery distribution center. But it has sat vacant for decades and is in disrepair.

“I wanted something with character,” said Myers “The character just adds to the classic cars.”

The ECIRPD says the mechanism used to help Myers acquire the building is something the organization wants to repeat.

“We’ve put together a program whereby municipal entities can work with the Planning District to advertise properties via a Request for Proposals. The end result is that we find local folks who want to

fix these properties up and are putting them back on the tax rolls,” said James King, Delaware County commissioner and president of the ECI Regional Planning District Board.

Myers says renovation will include a ten-month-long project to make the building “dry, safe and sealed.”