The Churn
Uptown Car Club Is Bringing Dope-Boy-Fresh Back to Atlanta with Vintage ’80s & ’90s Automobiles
Mike JordanApril 29, 2021
Kevin “Coach K” Lee of Quality Control Music knew he had to join when he heard from Atlanta promoter/entrepreneur Mark “Biddy” Barnes, a fellow car enthusiast, that Barnes was starting a membership club for people who own and love luxury cars from the 1980s and 1990s.
This was Biddy’s brainchild, Coach K told Butter.ATL in an exclusive interview.
“He’s from the Bronx; he grew up in the Paid In Full era, if you’re familiar with that movie. We all come from that age. He used to post these cars on his Instagram, and we follow each other — we’ve been friends for 25 years. He posted a photo and one day I hit him, like ‘What you know about that?’ He told me he was gonna start this car club and I’m not gonna lie, he put a battery in my back.”
In addition to Biddy and Coach K, the group was also founded by Mars Hall, a.k.a. DJ Mars. All three and other members of Uptown Car Club have created a lifestyle around the cars.
“We do our events, and the DJ is going to play that time period music,” Coach K continues. “People are coming dressed in that time period of clothes. It’s just a vibe and it’s just the energy. And it’s becoming a global thing.”
Membership is open to international enthusiasts. Annual membership is $150, and in 2022 there will be tiers of membership, from full to affiliate.
Specifications are anything from the late-’80s to the 200s, mostly foreign vehicles. The car club also does sales and restorations of classic and vintage vehicles, as one of UCC’s members, Vishal Patel, is the owner of VP Automotive in Kennesaw.
Those interested in joining Uptown Car Club can view their PDF brochure, which gives information on the group’s mission, guidelines, and activities. The brochure has a list of planned monthly events that allude to a goal of becoming not just a group of folks who love their classic rides, but also want to grow and develop professional relationships. Coming up this year are day-trips to Chateau Elan, Calloway Gardens, bowling and roller skating parties, and an assortment of brunch meetups, fundraisers and a drive-in concert.
And even if you don’t own one of these gorgeous cars from 20 years ago and beyond, you can still thirst over the images that Uptown Car Club posts regularly to its Instagram channel.