Hot Rod Factory

What Hot Rod Factory does

Hot Rod Factory is a privately-held specialty automotive restoration services company headquartered in East Bethel, Minnesota, operating from a 17,000+ square foot facility that the company describes as Minnesota's largest hot rod shop. Founded in 2004 with 1–10 employees, the firm restores, customizes, and builds classic hot rods, muscle cars, and project vehicles for individual owners and collectors.

The company performs all restoration work in-house across a comprehensive set of disciplines: award-winning bodywork and paint, custom upholstery, chassis restoration and fabrication, sheet metal repair, pro-touring builds, engine and drivetrain upgrades (including LS3/LT4 swaps, GM crate motors, and Tremec transmissions), airbag installations, and big brake systems. Ancillary offerings include branded apparel (sold through partner Underground Shirts), virtual shop tours, and ongoing video content marketing. Notable technical integrations include Hotchkis suspension components and Wilwood braking systems.

The business operates on a direct-sales, quote-based professional services model. Pricing is determined per-project based on the customer's desired restoration level and the starting condition of the vehicle, with weekly progress updates covering parts, labor, billing, and photos. The customer base consists entirely of individual vehicle owners commissioning one-off projects (12+ named individual customers visible in source data), and the apparel line serves as a minor secondary revenue stream. Geographic scope is regional (Minnesota) with digital marketing presence across Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and a content website.

Name

Hot Rod Factory

Legal name

Hot Rod Factory

Website

https://hotrodfactory.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hot Rod Factory is a privately-held Minnesota restoration shop that customizes, restores, and builds classic hot rods, muscle cars, and project vehicles in-house for individual owners, with a 17,000+ sq ft East Bethel facility and ancillary branded apparel sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Restoration Services

NAICS

Machine Shops (332710)

SIC

Motor Vehicle Parts & Accessories (3714)

akta.pro primary industry

Bumper, Panel & Plastic Repair (Composite/Trim) (TLAKAEAG)

Keywords

• Hot rod restoration
• Muscle car restoration
• Classic car restoration
• Custom auto bodywork
• Pro touring builds

Headquarters

HQ city

Cedar

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Vehicle Restoration Services: Full-service restoration of classic hot rods and muscle cars with pricing based on desired restoration level and vehicle condition
2. Apparel Sales: Hot Rod Factory branded merchandise including shirts, hats, hoodies sold through Underground Shirts platform

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hot Rod Factory provides end-to-end restoration, customization, and build services for classic hot rods, muscle cars, and project vehicles. All work—bodywork and paint, chassis restoration and fabrication, sheet metal repair, custom upholstery, pro-touring upgrades, airbag and big brake installations, and engine/drivetrain swaps—is performed in-house at a 17,000+ square foot facility in East Bethel, Minnesota. The company also sells branded apparel (shirts, hats, hoodies, tank tops) through a third-party merchandise platform.

Product overview

Hot Rod Factory is a service-based business offering comprehensive hot rod and muscle car restoration as its core product. The company operates as a single unified service offering (not a software platform), providing end-to-end restoration capabilities including bodywork and paint, metal shop services, custom upholstery, chassis restoration and fabrication, pro-touring builds, engine and drivetrain upgrades, airbag installations, and big brake systems. The company also offers ancillary merchandise (Hot Rod Factory Apparel) and content/media (Hot Rod Videos) through its website. All restoration work is performed in-house at their 17,000+ square foot Minnesota facility, allowing customers to commission complete builds from beginning to end.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hot Rod and Muscle Car Restoration Services Complete restoration and custom build services for classic hot rods and muscle cars performed in-house, including award-winning bodywork and paint, custom upholstery, chassis restoration, chassis fabrication, pro-touring builds, sheet metal repairs, airbag installations, big brake systems, and engine/drivetrain upgrades. Target customers are individual classic car owners and enthusiasts.
• Bodywork and Paint In-house award-winning bodywork and paint services for classic vehicles, including block sanding, body filler preparation, and professional finishing, offered as part of restoration projects.
• Metal Shop Services Metal fabrication and sheet metal repair services for classic vehicle restorations, including new floors, trunk rockers, wheelhouses, quarters, and roof replacements.
• Custom Upholstery Custom interior upholstery services for classic hot rods and muscle cars, performed in-house as part of restoration projects.
• Chassis Restoration and Fabrication Complete chassis restoration and custom chassis fabrication services for classic vehicles, including frame repairs and integration of performance components such as Hotchkis parts and Wilwood brakes.
• Pro-Touring Builds High-performance pro-touring vehicle builds incorporating modern drivetrains, suspension, and braking systems into classic muscle cars for individual enthusiasts.
• Engine and Drivetrain Upgrades Installation of crate motors (such as GM 502), Tremec 6-speed transmissions, LS3/LT4 engine swaps, and vintage power window upgrades for classic vehicle restoration projects.
• Airbag and Suspension Systems Airbag installation and suspension system upgrades for classic vehicles, offered as part of restoration and pro-touring projects.
• Hot Rod Factory Apparel Branded hot rod clothing including shirts, hats, hoodies, and tank tops sold through the third-party Underground Shirts merchandise platform, available in unisex and women's styles.

Named customers12 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Underground ShirtsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHot Rod Factory branded merchandise sold through Underground Shirts platform, including shirts, hats, hoodies, and tank tops in unisex and women's styles.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Streetside Classics: Large US classic and muscle car dealership with showrooms in multiple states. Comparable as a buyer/seller of restored classics and source of project vehicles, addressing the same enthusiast customer base.
• Lingenfelter Performance Engineering: Indiana-based performance engineering shop specializing in Corvette, muscle car, and pro-touring upgrades including engine swaps, brake systems, and suspension. Comparable to Hot Rod Factory's pro-touring/airbag/big-brake capabilities with a more performance-engineering emphasis.
• Gateway Classic Cars: National classic and collector car dealer/consignor with showrooms across the US. Comparable in serving the classic car enthusiast market and offering complementary restoration-related services, though primarily a dealer rather than a builder.
• Ringbrothers: Wisconsin-based custom car builder specializing in high-end restomods of classic muscle cars and hot rods. Closely comparable service offering (full custom builds, bodywork, fabrication, pro-touring performance) and similar regional Midwestern US positioning.
• Kindig-It Design: Salt Lake City custom car and hot rod builder behind the TV show 'Bitchin' Rides.' Directly comparable as a full-service restoration/custom build shop with strong digital content presence and brand recognition in the classic/muscle car space.
• Gas Monkey Garage: Richard Rawlings' Dallas-based hot rod and custom build shop, famous for high-end restorations, restomods, and custom builds. Directly comparable to Hot Rod Factory in service mix (bodywork, paint, fabrication, custom builds) but operates at a much larger national brand scale via TV exposure.
• Rad Rides by Troy: Long Island-based high-end custom hot rod and muscle car builder. Comparable in offering full custom builds at the premium end of the restomod market with strong portfolio-driven brand recognition.
• Factory Five Racing: Massachusetts manufacturer of replica/hot rod and Cobra kit cars, serving the same enthusiast market interested in building and owning high-performance classic-style vehicles.
• Classic Car Studio: St. Louis-based classic car restoration and restomod shop with similar full in-house capabilities (bodywork, paint, upholstery, mechanical). Closely comparable business model to Hot Rod Factory at a similar boutique scale.

Emerging players

• Revology Cars: Florida-based manufacturer of newly-built, officially-licensed replica classic Mustangs and Broncos. Comparable as a player in the modern-restomod space serving enthusiast buyers seeking classic-styled vehicles.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hot-rod-factory

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Hot Rod Factory