Author Archive: Brian Peters

A few years ago a client asked us to help with his purchase of and subsequent restoration of a 280SL. He found this 1969 model in Pasadena, still in the hands of the original owner’s family. She happened to be the 1948 Rose Queen and later, for her 25th wedding anniversary, instead of the mink she had asked for, she received this Mercedes. What follows is the photo documentation of turning our client’s dream, into reality.

• In our showroom
• Owner’s vision realized!
• Factory beige floors
• Bare engine block
• Gold-cad per factory
• New cylinder head
• Cadmium lines going together
• 

I hope everyone is healthy and staying home as directed by their government so COVID-19 can run its course with the least casualties. I’m currently holed [...]

From the Bartolini Collection – Recently acquired from our 86-year-old friend and machine shop owner with a stack of service records from the last 30 plus years! Sergio bought the Alfa from his friend and client, J.R. Tappan with the intention of modifying it with a poly-cylinder Italian engine, but the years accumulated, and other projects took precedence. We purchased the car in August of 2019 to give it the love it deserved. During engine servicing and maintenance, a kitten was discovered living somewhere in the bowels of the engine compartment. One can imagine the shock experienced by the technician when, on attempting to [...]

From the Bartolini Collection – Recently acquired from our 86-year-old friend and machine-shop owner with a stack of service records from the last 30 plus years! Sergio bought the Alfa from his friend and client, J.R. Tappan with the intention of modifying it with a poly-cylinder Italian engine, but the years accumulated, and other projects took precedence. We purchased the car in August of 2019 to give it the love it deserved. During engine servicing and maintenance, a feral kitten was discovered living somewhere in the bowels of the engine compartment. One can imagine the shock experienced by the technician when, on attempting to remove sparkplugs, the feral cat sunk claws and teeth deep into his hand before disappearing again into a cavity under the car.

During ‘author appreciation week’ we loaned the spider to sci-fi writer and philosopher Ivor Peter Brians to do his morning coffee-shop runs. We look forward to his writing the [...]

Our client is only in town on the weekends. He dropped of this lovely 230SL he had purchased here a few years ago for some electrical service and will pick her up next Saturday!

A fellow’s very nice Pagoda had developed an intermittent noise from underneath and after attempts from several local shops did not resolve it, he reached out to us. Not far from where the 2019 Pagoda Fest was held three weeks ago, our team made a side expedition to his garage to bring the car back to our shop. Several days after investigation and minor repairs, we returned his car. After he had a chance to drive it on a quiet Saturday, this is what he wrote:

““Ok!!!!! Drove car today. You fixed it!!!! It’s great. Thanks so much, u r genius.”

U r welcome Bill!

Will be here in a matter of days.