For one Bossier City business, the future has already arrived—and its vision is symbolized by a full-scale replica of the DeLorean from Back to the Future II, appearing to soar above Benton Road.

James Scotto, owner of Future Auto Repair, saw an opportunity to turn tragedy into progress. And unlike his inspiration’s title, he isn’t looking back when it comes to the future.

“When people think of auto shops, they think of the old, two-bay garage with a guy wearing a jumpsuit and a 1957 Chevrolet truck parked out front. No one’s really changed that perception in a long time,” he explained. “I wanted to allude to the future of what that’s going to look like.”

The business began in 1955 as a family-run gas station with two service bays, one of the last stops on a two-lane Benton Road before reaching the edge of the city. It grew gradually until James returned from college in 2009 to take over from his father.

Scotto had planned to transform the business into its current form back in 2020 and was finalizing plans when a fire broke out at their previous buildings in 2023. He called it an “unfortunate catalyst” that accelerated his vision.

“I got a phone call from my dad telling me the buildings were on fire. I was in the parking lot of Home Depot (in Bossier City), so I looked in our direction and saw this giant cloud of smoke,” Scotto recalled. “I sat with our technicians as it was burning down.”

A conversation with his business coach helped him realize that all he could do was lead and reassure his team that they would get through the crisis together.

“We made it into what we were going to do anyway. We rebranded because we are planning on expanding, and we want to change the way people view the industry,” Scotto said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a member of his business coaching group often emphasized guerrilla marketing as a means to overcome the unprecedented challenges created by the pandemic. Scotto embraced that approach, determined to reshape how people see the auto repair field, which he describes as “a highly complicated, technologically advanced trade.”

That vision inspired him to go “Back to the Future” with an iconic symbol of innovation — the DeLorean time machine. He partnered with a former NASA engineer based in Orlando, Florida, who builds replica cars from pop culture for companies like Universal Studios and Google.

The DeLorean now sits outside Future Auto Repair, where it’s become a local landmark in its own right.

“I had a vision that it would be a good spot to attract people. It has blown up on its own,” said Scotto. “A business next door took a photo during a storm with the car and lightning in the background, and it got a ton of attention. I know for a fact the creators of Back to the Future have seen that picture and love it.”

With this striking symbol of innovation floating out front, Scotto is focused on shaping the future — not only of his business, but of how trade careers are perceived.

He sees a unique opportunity to position Future Auto Repair ahead of an expected influx of people entering the trades over the next five years.

“There have been decades of people saying, ‘Do not go into trade careers,’ but trades are essential, and AI is not going to come in and be able to figure these things out,” he said. “You need information, which AI will help with, but you also need the right tools and experience. And that experience is something AI can’t gain by using deductive reasoning.”

Future Auto Repair invests heavily in training its technicians. His goal from the beginning was to elevate new technicians through a rigorous internal program.

For years, he sought guidance from Jim Morgan, a legendary figure in the auto repair world who has worked with everyone from General Motors to racing teams. After several collaborations over the past three years, as Morgan prepared to retire, he introduced Scotto to Brandon Steckler, a renowned technician and speaker in the field.

Scotto had what he calls a “crazy idea”: to convince Steckler to join the company full-time. Steckler begins at Future Auto Repair in November.

“I sold him on the vision of creating a technician school and becoming a ‘Top Gun’ of auto repair where we have the most elite technicians from across the country getting hands-on coaching from one of the world’s greatest trainers of all time,” said Scotto.

Looking back at the ashes of his business just two years ago and comparing it to where they are now, Scotto admits he feels the pressure to fulfill his vision.

“I think it’s more stressful now because where we are going is so much bigger than where it was back then,” he said. “But I think we’re on the right track. You just shoot for the moon and see what happens.”