Automotive Restorations Inc

What Automotive Restorations Inc does

Automotive Restorations, Inc. (ARI) is a privately held classic vehicle restoration, preservation, and care facility founded in 1978 and headquartered at 100 Lupes Drive, Stratford, Connecticut. The company operates from a single 52,000+ square-foot climate-controlled site with a staff of approximately 30-40 craftspeople, including metal fabricators, painters, upholsterers, wood and coach-trim specialists, body technicians, and race engineers. Its core offering is full-service vehicle restoration ranging from routine maintenance programs to nuts-and-bolts concours-quality rebuilds, supported by adjacent service lines in metal fabrication, paint and finish, upholstery, wood and coach trim, collector services, and transportation. ARI also runs Vintage Racing Services (VRS), an in-house race shop providing trackside support, coaching, chassis setup, and rentals, and operates a recurring-revenue vehicle storage business in its 52,000+ sq ft of insured, climate-controlled space.

The business model combines professional services (project-based restoration and racing), subscription storage, transaction-fee-based vehicle sales and consignment, and channel partnerships. Its primary customer segments are high-net-worth classic car collectors, concours participants, vintage racing enthusiasts, and buyers and sellers of collector vehicles. Distribution is primarily direct, via an appointment-only showroom in Stratford, supplemented by a Core partnership with Bring a Trailer for auction preparation, photography, videography, and consignment support to the Connecticut BaT community. Marketing is largely relationship-driven, relying on word-of-mouth referrals, concours event participation, the company website, an Instagram presence, and an email newsletter. ARI is independently owned with no disclosed parent, funding rounds, or institutional investors, and operates as a mature, founder-controlled craft-services business.

Name

Automotive Restorations Inc

Legal name

Automotive Restorations, Inc.

Website

https://automotiverestorations.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Automotive Restorations, Inc. is a Stratford, Connecticut classic vehicle restoration and preservation firm founded in 1978, serving high-net-worth collectors, concours participants, and vintage racers with full restoration, storage, transportation, racing, and consignment sales services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Classic Car Restoration Services

NAICS

Automotive Body, Paint, and Interior Repair and Maintenance (811121)

SIC

Services-Automotive Repair, Services & Parking (7500)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTLAKAAAK

Collision Repair, Bodywork & Paint (Light-Duty)

Transportation & Logistics/Vehicle & Equipment Maintenance, Repair & Services (MRO)/Automotive Repair & Maintenance (Light-Duty Vehicles)

SECONDARYTLAKAEAG

Bumper, Panel & Plastic Repair (Composite/Trim)

Transportation & Logistics/Vehicle & Equipment Maintenance, Repair & Services (MRO)/Collision Repair, Bodywork & Paint

SECONDARYTHADAMAF

Exotic Classic & Vintage Car Rentals

Travel & Hospitality/Car Rental & Mobility Services/Luxury & Exotic Car Rentals

Keywords

• Classic car restoration
• Vintage vehicle services
• Auto body restoration
• Collector car storage
• Vintage racing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Stratford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Vehicle Restoration Services: Full-service restoration from nuts-and-bolts concours-quality restorations to specialized maintenance programs. Revenue generated through labor and parts for restoration projects of varying scope and duration.
2. Vintage Racing Services: In-house race shop providing track-side support, race car preparation, coaching, chassis setup, and rental services for vintage racing enthusiasts.
3. Vehicle Storage: Climate-controlled storage solutions for collector vehicles. Over 52,000 square feet of secure, insured storage with both long-term and short-term options.
4. Transportation Services: Door-to-door vehicle transportation using fully insured fleet of trucks and trailers. Services include house calls, event transportation, and transport to restorations shops or concours events.
5. Vehicle Sales: Sales of restored classic vehicles, previously sold inventory, and consignment services. Also outright vehicle purchasing from sellers.
6. Vehicle Marketing Services: Auction preparation services in partnership with Bring a Trailer, photography and videography, documentation presentation, detailing, and collection consultation services.
7. Specialized Services: Metal fabrication, paint and finish, upholstery, wood and coach trim, and collector services for vehicle maintenance and restoration.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Automotive Restorations Inc provides full-service classic car restoration, preservation, and care from a 53,000+ square-foot facility in Stratford, CT. Their offerings include mechanical rebuilds, metal and fabrication work, paint and finish, upholstery, wood and coach trim, transportation, climate-controlled vehicle storage, vintage racing preparation and support, and vehicle marketing and sales through a partnership with Bring a Trailer.

Product overview

Automotive Restorations Inc is a classic vehicle restoration, preservation, and care facility founded in 1978, offering a comprehensive suite of services organized around two main divisions: restoration services and Vintage Racing Services (VRS). The restoration division includes Mechanical Services, Metal & Fabrication, Paint & Finish, Upholstery, Wood & Coach Trim, Collector Services, Transportation, Vehicle Storage, and Vehicle Sales/Marketing. The VRS division provides specialized race car building and track-side support including mechanical services, coaching, chassis setup, and rentals. The company also partners with Bring a Trailer for auction preparation and vehicle marketing services. All services are delivered by a staff of over 30-40 skilled craftspeople from the company's Stratford, Connecticut facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mechanical Services
• Metal & Fabrication Services
• Paint & Finish Services
• Upholstery Services
• Wood & Coach Trim Services
• Collector Services
• Vintage Racing Services
• Vehicle Transportation
• Vehicle Storage
• Vehicle Marketing Services

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bring a TrailercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAutomotive Restorations is partnered with Bring a Trailer (BaT) to offer auction preparation services to the local Connecticut BaT community. This partnership allows the company to handle all aspects of vehicle sales for clients looking to sell through BaT's auction platform, including preparation, photography, and documentation services.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Canepa: California-based classic car restoration, sales, and motorsports facility offering concours-level restorations, collector car sales, and race preparation—directly comparable multi-discipline model to ARI but on the West Coast.
• ICON 4x4 (Jonathan Ward): Boutique restoration shop specializing in restored and reimagined classic 4x4s and muscle cars with vertically integrated fabrication, paint, and upholstery—comparable high-end custom restoration business model.
• Singer Vehicle Design: Porsche restoration and reimagining specialist producing bespoke restorations with full design and fabrication capabilities—directly comparable bespoke-restoration positioning in the collector market.
• Stoddard Restorations: Ohio-based vintage Mercedes and classic European car restoration specialist with parts distribution and concours services—comparable niche European-marque restoration peer.
• Kienle Automobiltechnik: German-based restoration specialist for pre-war and post-war classics including Mercedes, Porsche, and Bentley—comparable high-end classic restoration services targeting the same affluent collector demographic.
• Volo Classics: Classic car dealer and restoration facility offering collector car sales, restoration, and storage—directly comparable multi-service model in the US classic car market.

Broad incumbents

• RM Sotheby's: Global collector car auction house with historical restoration services arm—operates broadly in the classic car ecosystem with overlapping auction and high-end restoration capabilities.
• Gooding & Company: Auction house specializing in exceptional collector vehicles—adjacent incumbent in the classic car sales and marketing channel serving the same collector customer base as ARI.
• Bring a Trailer: Leading online collector car auction platform and ARI's Core GTM partner—directly comparable audience but operates as a marketplace rather than a restoration service provider.

Emerging players

• Touring Superleggera: Italian coachbuilder reviving hand-built classic-styled vehicles with modern mechanicals—comparable boutique coach-building heritage but positioned as low-volume manufacturer rather than restorer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/automotiverestorations
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/automotive-restorations-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Automotive Restorations Inc