Summary of the Article: Kindred Motorworks – Modernizing Classic Car Restoration
This article details the story of Kindred Motorworks, a company revolutionizing classic car restoration through a technology-driven, scalable approach. Here’s a breakdown of the key takeaways:
* Focus on Quality & Scalability: Kindred isn’t a traditional custom shop. They prioritize performance, safety, and reliability by using repeatable processes, engineering discipline, and modern manufacturing principles – essentially treating restoration like a tech product.
* Founder’s Background: founder Howard, originally from a logistics and technology background (having founded and sold companies like Ensenada Inc. and Grand Junction, and working at Target), was frustrated with the time and inconsistency of traditional car restoration. He leveraged his experience scaling tech companies to build Kindred.
* From Garage Hobby to Large Facility: The company started small in 2019 and has grown significantly, now operating out of a 105,000-square-foot facility on Mare Island, delivering its first Bronco Heritage Edition in December 2023.
* “Factory-Style Restomod” Market: Kindred is part of a growing trend of “factory-style restomods” – companies that standardize restoration processes and use proprietary components for consistent quality and scale.
* Growing Demand: A SEMA study highlights a large number of classic cars still on the road (9.4 million pre-1990 vehicles) and a rising trend of modernizing them, especially among younger owners (38% under 45).
* Strategic approach: Kindred focuses on a limited lineup and intensive progress for each model, ensuring a high-quality, consistent product.
In essence, Kindred Motorworks is applying Silicon Valley principles to the classic car restoration world, aiming to deliver reliable, high-performing, and consistently-built restomods at scale.
