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Mark Strang is a car enthusiast who has spent thousands of hours restoring his cars.
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The MG is a British car, no longer in production.
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The details of the restoration are what’s appreciated most by people who know the process.
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Mark Strang knows it’s not about the money. “If you just want a nice car you’re better off buying the best one you can afford,” he said. Restoration, on the other hand, is about passion, a bare-knuckled dive into a years-long process that never seems to be completely finished.
Greater Williamsburg is home to a community of vintage automobile fans who commit themselves to restoring a classic car, often many times. The endeavor is a labor of love born of an appreciation for the beauty of intricate antiques and the process that brings them back to life.
In April, the Williamsburg British Car Club hosted its 19th annual British and European Car Show at The Shops at High Street Williamsburg. Well over 100 cars took part, some from as far away as Canada and California. The Historic Triangle was well represented, too. Club president Janet Powell said that more than 70 local families are members of the group.
Strang, a Ford’s Colony resident, was there with a sleek two-toned 1970 Morgan. He owns four other classics, all MGs. His affinity for vehicles began in college, when he owned motorcycles. After marriage, however, his wife steered him toward the four-wheeled variety. Strang said that the classic car bug often bites when someone finds a vehicle with some connection to his past. The first classic car Strang restored, a ’53 MG, belonged to a frat brother, which evoked strong memories of those formative years.
Restoration is a rabbit hole, according to Strang. Tacklingone part of the car often reveals other components that needto be replaced. Rebuilding an engine often leads to the overhaul of the other major mechanical workings, such as the transmission. “You end up taking it to the last nut and bolt,” said Strang.
All told, restoring a single vehicle can occupy upwards of 1,500 hours. Strang’s workshop is the basement of his home, where he had an I-beam installed for lifting vehicles’ heavy components. He keeps a full complement of the tools and technology he needs onsite. Restoration takes a lot of space, said Strang. The footprint that a single vehicle occupies is about one-quarter of the area needed to work with all the disassembled parts and pieces.
These constraints can be limiting for classic car fans without the time, tools or space needed to undertake a bumper-to-bumper restoration themselves. There is nevertheless a local resource to help them pursue this hobby. Auto Haus Classics grew out of its namesake service and sales dealership that has been serving local import vehicle owners since 1992.
Marketing manager Rob Carpenter said that Auto Haus Classics is always undertaking several major restorations at any given time, and there’s a years-long waiting list.
“Most times people will come in and just want to get their car running again,” he said. What those clients discover, however, is just how meticulous Auto Haus’ technicians are with a complete restoration.
One of the gems of Auto Haus Classic’s collection is a 1966 Mercedes-Benz 300SE Coupé, with gleaming metallic gray paint and buffed red leather seats. Inside, the engine seems straight from the factory floor. This belongs to Auto Haus owner Hans Hohlrieder and normally sits inside the Auto Haus showroom as a testament to the firm’s work, but the Auto Haus team had no choice but to take it to the Britishand European Car Show.
Any given day in Auto Haus Classic’s expansive garage are several antique vehicles in various states of restoration. Recently there was a full complement of Mercedes-Benzes including 280SE, 230SL and 450SE, an Austin Princess anda Porsche.
For Simon Wohlfahrtstaetter, restoration specialist and Hohlrieder’s nephew, each vehicle is a puzzle that requires full attention and can’t be rushed. Wohlfahrtstaetter works on German cars dating from the 1950s to the 1980s. Every piece is fitted to specific vehicles and when a component isno longer usable, he must find another, which could easilybe halfway around the world.
Wohlfahrtstaetter believes the end result is a remarkable achievement. “When we have finished a project, I see it more as a piece of art than a car,” he said.
For the car’s owner, the feeling of the restored vehicle and the nostalgia it evokes when it’s on the open road is the reward for all the time and money it takes to get there, said Strang.
“Nobody but you knows how much time and effort you put into a car,” he said.
Strang said he has taken three-day, 500-mile road trips with other classic MG owners, and that journey, the camaraderie with like-minded enthusiasts, and with one’s own vehicle, is like no other feeling. “They’re all convertibles, and it might be 40 degrees out, but we’ve got the top down, having a ball.”