Bringing vintage cars back to life
By Dave Dreeszen Journal business editor | Posted: Sunday, September 09, 2007
Healey Werks' owner Craig Hillinger, left, and marketing director Dan Thompson stand in front of a 1967 Austin Healey 3000 MKT III, 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB Longnose and a 1957 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster being restored at the business just west of Lawton, Iowa. The company specializes in restoration of vintage European-made cars. (Staff photo by Tim Hynds)
LAWTON, Iowa -- As sparks flew from his grinder, Healey Werks fabrication assistant Travis Hartz stripped corrosion from the bare chassis of a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTF PF Cabriolet.
On an adjacent hoist sat the frame of a 1960 model of the Italian-made convertible. Only 202 of the Cabriolet Series II, known for its conservative body style, were ever built.
"To have two of them sitting next to each other is kind of unheard of,'' Healey Werks owner Craig Hillinger said as he led a tour of the shop, which also currently houses a third rare Ferrari.
At any one time, as many as two dozen vintage automobiles -- like those you might expect to see in a James Bond film -- are in various stages of restoration at Healey Werks. For a decade, the rich and famous from several continents have been sending their prized autos to the business, located just west of Lawton, Iowa.
"They actually seek out Healey Werks and wait in line, sometimes for quite some time, because they know the level of quality and the history of the service we provide here,'' marketing director Dan Thompson said.
Currently, the shop has a 24- to 30-month backlog of work, meaning some cars currently under restoration won't be delivered until late 2009.
To accommodate growing demand for its services, Healey Werks last month broke ground on a major expansion. By tripling its total space, the business hopes to eventually cut the waiting list in half or more, Hillinger said.
How did a world-reknowed restoration shop end up at a rural Woodbury County site, surrounded by soybean fields, self-storage units and a John Deere dealership?
Healey Werks' story began two decades ago in the Chicago area, where Hillinger, was born and raised. At age 4, he began spending time in the family garage with his father, who owned a vintage Austin Healey. Two years later, Craig attended the first National Austin-Healey meet in northern Indiana, now known as the annual Conclave. At the meet, he met legendary auto engineer and race driver Donald Healey, igniting a lifelong passion for vintage cars.
In 1987, Hillinger opened a two-car garage in the Chicago suburb of Elk Grove, Ill., where he serviced Austin Healeys and various British-made cars. The customer base steadily grew and the shop expanded two times over the next few years.
Hillinger met the former Shari Pearson, a Bronson, Iowa, native, while she was working in the Chicago area. After marrying, the couple in 1997 relocated Healey Werks to its current location to raise a family and build the business in a region with a strong work ethic, character and community.
Today, Shari manages the office, while Craig oversees the restoration work at the business, about five miles east of Sioux City along U.S. Highway 20.
Healey Werks specializes in the restoration of high-end European speciality and sports cars, including Aston Martin, Austin Healey, Ferrari, Jaguar, Maserati, Mercedes and Porsche. To a lesser degree, it also works on North American models, from pre-war to vintage muscle and luxury vehicles.
Doing little paid advertising, Healey Werks relies primarily on word-of-mouth testimonials. In vintage auto circles, it's developed a reputation as one of only a handful of premiere restoration specialists.
About 85 percent of its restoration business comes from outside the Siouxland, primarily throughout the United States and other parts of North America. But it also has done work for customers in nearly every European nation, as well as Argentina, Australia and Japan.
Its clientele includes celebrities, business tycoons and billionaires, some with their own tropical islands. The value of their vintage autos range into the seven figures.
Some historically-signficiant autos are family heirlooms. Most others consider their prized vehicles as long-term investments.
"For these customers, these are their babies,'' Thompson said. "Some of these cars are never driven. They become art to people.''
Some other owners turn to Healey Werks to prepare their prized for classic car shows or driving events, like the Colorado Grand or New England 1000.
Healey Werks does as much, or as little work, as owners want, from a new paint job to a complete restoration. The business also offers routine maintenance and service, which is popular with local owners of foreign models who otherwise might have to travel to a larger city.
Depending on the vehicle, the average cost of a complete restoration -- tearing down the original vehicle and remanufacturing a new one -- can be in excess of $100,000, Hillinger said.
"For most of our clientele, it's not the price,'' Thompson said. "We will put as much time and material into that car so it's absolutely perfect. That's all these customers want to know.''
Healey Werks regularly keeps its clients abreast of work on their cars, taking several thousands of digital images of each one. It's also not unusual for some out-of-town owners to fly into Sioux City, and stop by the shop to check out the progress in person, Thompson said.
Jay Brosten, who has known Hillinger since he opened his first shop in the Chicago area, recently had Healey Werks completely restore his 1957 Austin Healey 100/6. At its first competition, the Antique Automotive Club of America show in Lake Forest, Ill. in July, the car captured a first-place award.
Brosten said Healey Werks is now bringing back to life his 1957 Jaguar XK140, which he predicts will "surely be another award winner.''
Marrying craftsmanship, technology
What sets Healey Werks apart from other shops that do similar work? While it can restore a vintage auto completely to its original specifications, the business is one of the few that offers an expansive use of technology that help cars perform better and become more user friendly.
"It really doesn't make a lot of sense for us to restore a 40- or 50-year-old car with 40- or 50-year-old technology,'' Hilliniger said. "We've been able to make improvements at an engineering level that allows that product to be enhanced without changing its originality. We're really integrating the old-fashioned craftsmanship with as much of today's cutting-edge technology as we can.''
For example, the business recently developed a new multi-port fuel injection that improves the performance of older carburetor engines for European models like Austin Healey, Ferrari and Maserti.
With a vertical milling machine and computer software program, Healey Werks also can replicate parts. That comes in handy for older parts which are hard to find or no longer av obsolute.
By scanning the old part, a three-dimensional image can be created in a Computer Aided Drafting or CAD file. With the touch of a button, a new part then can be milled out of various materials, from plastic to a hardened grade of steel. Hillinger said it creates a more durable and better performing product than the original.
Besides its own use, Healey Werks makes parts for sale in the automotive aftermarket.
Among the shop's other technology: a 1,500 horsepower all-wheel dynameter, used to perfect the tuning of vehicles without taking them out on the road, and a state-of-the-art draft and baking booth that uses the best primer, basecoat and clearcoat products money can buy.
The shop also offers to incorporate such 21st century features as GPS systems, digital video and high-fidelity sound in vintage cars.
Crowded quarters
Healey Werks is one of the few restoration specialists of its kind that does most everything in-house. Some shops, Hillinger said, outsource work as painting, upholstery and engine work.
"All of a sudden, restoration facilities become kind of a glorified assembly house, he said. "They're putting together everybody else's components.''
To eliminate cross contamination, Healey Werks' complex is divided into separate rooms, including tear down and fabrication, engine and transmission, paint and final assembly. "For example, we don't have a guy standing here assembling final chrome next to somebody grinding on a frame or assembling an engine,'' Hillinger said.
In their current cramped quarters, employees value every inch of the 12,000 square feet of space. Hillinger estimates his staff now spends about 10 hours a week simply moving vehicles from one spot to another to get them out of way for another project.
"Being in a building this size has forced us to become very efficient with our space,'' he said. "When we do move into this bigger facility, we will be able to do a greater volume rather efficiently.''
The 25,000-square-foot addition, under construction just east of the existing complex, is scheduled for completion next spring. At that point, the main operations will move into the new structure. The older facility then will house support functions like upholstery and a machine shop.
The added space will not only help the firm clear a backlog of projects, but also expand its concept engineering and prototype services.
Dave Dreeszen can be reached at (712) 293-4211 or davedreeszen@siouxcityjournal.com
In Healey Werks' showroom, "Millie" is a featured attraction.
Millie, a rare prototype race car built by Austin Healey in 1953 in England. Famed racer Phil Stiles named the car Millie for her multiple performances in the Mille Miglia, a famous Italian racing course. Legendary drivers Sterling and Donald Healey also once raced Millie.
Constructed of lightweight aluminum and fitted with an experimental engine, the test car later raced at other European tracks and in the United States. Fred Hunter, who acquired Millie in 1966, raced the car for the last time a year later, and then put her into storage for the next 39 years, according to Healey Werks.
After Hunter died in 2007, Healey Werks owners Craig and Shari Hillinger acquired Millie in an estate sale.
To preserve her historical signficance, Millie was left in its originia condition.
For a more complete history of Millie, go to: www.siouxcityjournal.com
Healey Werks
Location: Rural Lawton, Iowa
Owners: Craig and Shari Hillinger
History: Founded in 1987 in suburban Chicago. Moved to current site in 1997.
Speciality: Restoration of vintage European-made autos
On the Web: www.healeywerks.com
On an adjacent hoist sat the frame of a 1960 model of the Italian-made convertible. Only 202 of the Cabriolet Series II, known for its conservative body style, were ever built.
"To have two of them sitting next to each other is kind of unheard of,'' Healey Werks owner Craig Hillinger said as he led a tour of the shop, which also currently houses a third rare Ferrari.
At any one time, as many as two dozen vintage automobiles -- like those you might expect to see in a James Bond film -- are in various stages of restoration at Healey Werks. For a decade, the rich and famous from several continents have been sending their prized autos to the business, located just west of Lawton, Iowa.
"They actually seek out Healey Werks and wait in line, sometimes for quite some time, because they know the level of quality and the history of the service we provide here,'' marketing director Dan Thompson said.
Currently, the shop has a 24- to 30-month backlog of work, meaning some cars currently under restoration won't be delivered until late 2009.
To accommodate growing demand for its services, Healey Werks last month broke ground on a major expansion. By tripling its total space, the business hopes to eventually cut the waiting list in half or more, Hillinger said.
How did a world-reknowed restoration shop end up at a rural Woodbury County site, surrounded by soybean fields, self-storage units and a John Deere dealership?
Healey Werks' story began two decades ago in the Chicago area, where Hillinger, was born and raised. At age 4, he began spending time in the family garage with his father, who owned a vintage Austin Healey. Two years later, Craig attended the first National Austin-Healey meet in northern Indiana, now known as the annual Conclave. At the meet, he met legendary auto engineer and race driver Donald Healey, igniting a lifelong passion for vintage cars.
In 1987, Hillinger opened a two-car garage in the Chicago suburb of Elk Grove, Ill., where he serviced Austin Healeys and various British-made cars. The customer base steadily grew and the shop expanded two times over the next few years.
Hillinger met the former Shari Pearson, a Bronson, Iowa, native, while she was working in the Chicago area. After marrying, the couple in 1997 relocated Healey Werks to its current location to raise a family and build the business in a region with a strong work ethic, character and community.
Today, Shari manages the office, while Craig oversees the restoration work at the business, about five miles east of Sioux City along U.S. Highway 20.
Healey Werks specializes in the restoration of high-end European speciality and sports cars, including Aston Martin, Austin Healey, Ferrari, Jaguar, Maserati, Mercedes and Porsche. To a lesser degree, it also works on North American models, from pre-war to vintage muscle and luxury vehicles.
Doing little paid advertising, Healey Werks relies primarily on word-of-mouth testimonials. In vintage auto circles, it's developed a reputation as one of only a handful of premiere restoration specialists.
About 85 percent of its restoration business comes from outside the Siouxland, primarily throughout the United States and other parts of North America. But it also has done work for customers in nearly every European nation, as well as Argentina, Australia and Japan.
Its clientele includes celebrities, business tycoons and billionaires, some with their own tropical islands. The value of their vintage autos range into the seven figures.
Some historically-signficiant autos are family heirlooms. Most others consider their prized vehicles as long-term investments.
"For these customers, these are their babies,'' Thompson said. "Some of these cars are never driven. They become art to people.''
Some other owners turn to Healey Werks to prepare their prized for classic car shows or driving events, like the Colorado Grand or New England 1000.
Healey Werks does as much, or as little work, as owners want, from a new paint job to a complete restoration. The business also offers routine maintenance and service, which is popular with local owners of foreign models who otherwise might have to travel to a larger city.
Depending on the vehicle, the average cost of a complete restoration -- tearing down the original vehicle and remanufacturing a new one -- can be in excess of $100,000, Hillinger said.
"For most of our clientele, it's not the price,'' Thompson said. "We will put as much time and material into that car so it's absolutely perfect. That's all these customers want to know.''
Healey Werks regularly keeps its clients abreast of work on their cars, taking several thousands of digital images of each one. It's also not unusual for some out-of-town owners to fly into Sioux City, and stop by the shop to check out the progress in person, Thompson said.
Jay Brosten, who has known Hillinger since he opened his first shop in the Chicago area, recently had Healey Werks completely restore his 1957 Austin Healey 100/6. At its first competition, the Antique Automotive Club of America show in Lake Forest, Ill. in July, the car captured a first-place award.
Brosten said Healey Werks is now bringing back to life his 1957 Jaguar XK140, which he predicts will "surely be another award winner.''
Marrying craftsmanship, technology
What sets Healey Werks apart from other shops that do similar work? While it can restore a vintage auto completely to its original specifications, the business is one of the few that offers an expansive use of technology that help cars perform better and become more user friendly.
"It really doesn't make a lot of sense for us to restore a 40- or 50-year-old car with 40- or 50-year-old technology,'' Hilliniger said. "We've been able to make improvements at an engineering level that allows that product to be enhanced without changing its originality. We're really integrating the old-fashioned craftsmanship with as much of today's cutting-edge technology as we can.''
For example, the business recently developed a new multi-port fuel injection that improves the performance of older carburetor engines for European models like Austin Healey, Ferrari and Maserti.
With a vertical milling machine and computer software program, Healey Werks also can replicate parts. That comes in handy for older parts which are hard to find or no longer av obsolute.
By scanning the old part, a three-dimensional image can be created in a Computer Aided Drafting or CAD file. With the touch of a button, a new part then can be milled out of various materials, from plastic to a hardened grade of steel. Hillinger said it creates a more durable and better performing product than the original.
Besides its own use, Healey Werks makes parts for sale in the automotive aftermarket.
Among the shop's other technology: a 1,500 horsepower all-wheel dynameter, used to perfect the tuning of vehicles without taking them out on the road, and a state-of-the-art draft and baking booth that uses the best primer, basecoat and clearcoat products money can buy.
The shop also offers to incorporate such 21st century features as GPS systems, digital video and high-fidelity sound in vintage cars.
Crowded quarters
Healey Werks is one of the few restoration specialists of its kind that does most everything in-house. Some shops, Hillinger said, outsource work as painting, upholstery and engine work.
"All of a sudden, restoration facilities become kind of a glorified assembly house, he said. "They're putting together everybody else's components.''
To eliminate cross contamination, Healey Werks' complex is divided into separate rooms, including tear down and fabrication, engine and transmission, paint and final assembly. "For example, we don't have a guy standing here assembling final chrome next to somebody grinding on a frame or assembling an engine,'' Hillinger said.
In their current cramped quarters, employees value every inch of the 12,000 square feet of space. Hillinger estimates his staff now spends about 10 hours a week simply moving vehicles from one spot to another to get them out of way for another project.
"Being in a building this size has forced us to become very efficient with our space,'' he said. "When we do move into this bigger facility, we will be able to do a greater volume rather efficiently.''
The 25,000-square-foot addition, under construction just east of the existing complex, is scheduled for completion next spring. At that point, the main operations will move into the new structure. The older facility then will house support functions like upholstery and a machine shop.
The added space will not only help the firm clear a backlog of projects, but also expand its concept engineering and prototype services.
Dave Dreeszen can be reached at (712) 293-4211 or davedreeszen@siouxcityjournal.com
In Healey Werks' showroom, "Millie" is a featured attraction.
Millie, a rare prototype race car built by Austin Healey in 1953 in England. Famed racer Phil Stiles named the car Millie for her multiple performances in the Mille Miglia, a famous Italian racing course. Legendary drivers Sterling and Donald Healey also once raced Millie.
Constructed of lightweight aluminum and fitted with an experimental engine, the test car later raced at other European tracks and in the United States. Fred Hunter, who acquired Millie in 1966, raced the car for the last time a year later, and then put her into storage for the next 39 years, according to Healey Werks.
After Hunter died in 2007, Healey Werks owners Craig and Shari Hillinger acquired Millie in an estate sale.
To preserve her historical signficance, Millie was left in its originia condition.
For a more complete history of Millie, go to: www.siouxcityjournal.com
Healey Werks
Location: Rural Lawton, Iowa
Owners: Craig and Shari Hillinger
History: Founded in 1987 in suburban Chicago. Moved to current site in 1997.
Speciality: Restoration of vintage European-made autos
On the Web: www.healeywerks.com
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