Rusty Vaughn doesn’t hunt, golf or fish. He won’t talk your ear off about politics, and you won’t find him spending an entire Saturday riding horses or fixing things that weren’t really broken to begin with. But boy, does he love playing around with classic cars.
It’s a hobby that dates back to when he was just a young boy growing up in Arkansas. Fast-forward to today, and the longtime Argyle resident—he’ll turn 70 in August—has built a fantasy collection that spans everything from hot rods and muscle cars to exotics and imports. He’ll sell some, buy a few more to restore and even invite you over to Iron Horse Stables, a 13-acre man cave and showroom off Hilltop Lane, to sit behind the wheel and talk the day away about how he got his hands on all of them.
And every chance he gets, he’ll take his four grandkids on a quick ride to the nearest Sonic.
“I am every bit a ‘car guy,’ so much so that I like to joke that I’m into horsepower, not horses. But I never buy the ones that you end up being too afraid to drive or touch,” Rusty said with a laugh. His collection of more than 20 cars includes an early-2000s Ferrari, a couple of El Caminos and a 1957 Chevrolet. “Anything I own, I drive, and if one of my grandkids spills a Coke in one of them, that’s OK.”
But Vaughn’s story isn’t about the cars, his ever-expanding man cave (the property also includes a circa 1950s Texaco gas station that needs to be seen to be believed) or a lifelong hobby. It’s about a much deeper restoration project—one that began when he started losing his vision, fought to get it back and, along the way, discovered that his passion for classic cars could serve a far greater purpose. Over the past couple of years, that purpose has taken shape at Iron Horse Stables, where he has launched the Iron Horse Stables Foundation. The 501(c)(3) has already hosted several successful charity events that bring together classic cars, family and a community that’s known for lending a helping hand.
“I’ve always been the type of person who loves to help people and give back, but when you’re blind, you have a lot of time to sit around and do a lot of soul searching. In those moments, I realized I wasn’t doing enough,” Rusty said. “I’m in the fourth quarter of life, and the meter is running. I knew I had to pick up the pace, leverage my love for cars to help people and give back with a sense of urgency.”
He added, “No one expects Iron Horse Stables Foundation to be a six-figure operation right now, but we’re sure working toward that.”
A YEAR OF UNCERTAINTY
One of the best parts of having a collection of classic cars is the opportunity to enjoy them visually. The curves of the body line, the shine of a custom paint job or new leather interior and the look of the pristine engine under the hood. Naturally, Rusty loves every bit of it and went out of his way to protect his investment. He already had a 4,400-square-foot space for some of those vehicles at his home in Argyle, but in 2024, he began building what is now known as Iron Horse Stables.
Located just off Hilltop Lane, the property features two flagship buildings: a custom clubhouse and a full-size indoor multipurpose event space. Just across the former airstrip sits the replica Texaco gas station, serving as Rusty’s personal workshop.
For all intents and purposes, it was and is every car guy’s dream space—with plenty of room to grow.
Sadly, Rusty’s ongoing vision problems prevented him from enjoying any of it. He was diagnosed with detached retinas in both eyes on March 31, 2025. He underwent two emergency surgeries over the next two days and was blind for two months. He had also developed cataracts, which extended his vision problems for a total of four months.
“To make a long story short, the good Lord saw fit to allow me to eventually have my vision back. But he also opened my eyes to something much bigger,” he said. “I asked myself if I was doing enough when it came to helping others, and the answer was no. I had a real opportunity with what I had created with Iron Horse Stables 2.0, and it wasn’t just to enjoy tinkering with classic cars.”
A GATHERING PLACE WITH PURPOSE
Rusty founded the Iron Horse Stables Foundation almost immediately, and the result has been a lengthy list of community events, gatherings, and creative collaborations designed to give back.
They hosted their first event on Oct. 19 to raise money for a local woman who was on a transplant waiting list.
That was followed quickly by a toy drive to benefit Toys for Tots. The second-annual Stampede at the Stables, an annual cruise-in and charity event, is already scheduled for October 11. On May 16, they’ll also host their inaugural Poker Run, a multi-stop cruise through North Texas where participants can collect cards along the route and build their best five-card poker hand. The run finishes at Iron Horse Stables, where prizes and a car show will be presented. This year’s event benefits Broken Halos Haven, a local nonprofit serving young widows and their school-aged children through grief support, family programs and a no-cost retreat.
“All the money raised at this and other events goes straight to charity, and everyone always has a blast doing it,” Rusty said. “We had over a hundred classic cars at our Stampede last year, and that was even after we had to change the date at the last minute because of the threat of rain. We have high expectations for this year as a board. For me, I’ve been blessed for years to have the cars and enjoy them whenever I want. But now, I get to leverage them to help others, and that means more to me than you can possibly know.”
As for the future, Rusty said he still has enough room at Iron Horse 2.0 to build a bigger showroom so he can keep all his cars on the property rather than spreading them across various locations. It’s also enough room to make the venue available to local nonprofits, organizations, businesses and individuals who wish to host their own events.
“I want to make this venue available to as many people as possible,” he said. “I’m from a blue-collar family that worked hard, and I’ve been blessed throughout my life with opportunities to pursue my hobby and do what I love. I’ve realized that this is way bigger than me. Sure, I may have lit the fuse, but it’s about all the good we can do together. I don’t take any of that for granted.”
To learn more about the Iron Horse Stables Foundation, please visit ironhorsestables.foundation.
