By Angelo Van Bogart
From a small Wisconsin shed, Wayne Obry groomed his restoration business over 35 years into a preeminent Ferrari restoration source with the world’s highest accolades to its credit. Nearly 50 employees now roll out as many as six complete Ferrari restorations each year from the three buildings that make up Motion Products Inc. (MPI) in the huddled city of Neenah, Wis. And each of those restorations is worthy of the lawns at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance to Italy’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
How Obry evolved from a one-stall shop housing a Jaguar in 1979 to a world-renowned Ferrari restoration shop with thousands of square footage can be pinpointed to one customer, according to MPI project manager Dustin Wetmore.
“A guy named Joe Marchetti (of International Auto Inc.) that did a lot of Ferrari dealing and service had [Obry] pick up a car, and it was basically just a used car spiff-up,” Wetmore said. “Marchetti said, ‘If you do good for me, we’ll keep sending you cars. If you do bad for me, you’ll never touch another Ferrari again.’”
Restored cars showcased at MPI’s 2013 open house included, from left to right, a one-off 1953 Ferrari 375 America Coupe Speciale; 1951 Ferrari 340 America Coupe, 1952 Ferrari 342 America Cabriolet and a one-off 1954 Ferrari 375 Plus Cabriolet Speciale.
Obry’s work was clearly met with satisfaction, and more red heads wearing the prancing horse galloped into the shop. However, Wetmore said that it was a Ferrari 250 Long Wheel Base California Spider restoration that put MPI on the radar of Ferrari owners around the world about 20 years ago. That Ferrari made a splash at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and it was the first swing of a one-two punch that brought MPI to the forefront among Ferrari owners.
“The event that solidified [MPI] was a Ferrari 212 export with a Pinin Farina body they restored and brought to Pebble Beach that ended up being the first 100-point Ferrari at Pebble Beach,” Wetmore said. “Once that happens, you pretty much can’t help but be noticed.”
Maintaining such a high level of quality often means controlling many of the aspects of restoration. Faced with the need to reproduce the unobtainable rare vintage Ferrari parts required for 100-point restorations, MPI soon began creating parts for its projects. Today, the shop can build almost anything that a restoration requires, whether it be for a Ferrari or any of the other domestic or foreign cars it restores.
A 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Coupe Long Wheel Base in the final throes of reassembly.
“With our cad cam capability and 3D scanning and low-volume machining, we have the equipment to make parts,” Wetmore said. Some parts, such as emblems, are made one at a time, while other items, such as cast engine parts or distributors, may be made in multiples and added to inventory. Those parts are then made available as needed to customers or other restorers.
MPI’s capabilities are used on more than its six or so complete Ferrari restorations per year. At any time, there are about 50 cars among MPI’s three buildings. Some will receive full restorations, but most will receive partial restorations, mechanical builds, maintenance work or a combination of these services.
The cars and the work that brings them to MPI are as diverse as the business’ skills. Among the cars on hand recently were a Datsun 240Z, a Camaro resto-mod and a Mercedes-Benz Gullwing. Before each leaves the shop, it will be thoroughly tested. No car undergoes more scrutiny than one that receives a complete restoration in the care of MPI.
There is a strict process for cars that receive full rebuilds at MPI. Once a car enters the doors, the staff at MPI has the owner fill out what he expects from the restoration to reflect how the car will be used (points and/or concours-judged, race car, driver, etc.). The car is assigned a job number to identify it and its parts and a rough schedule of milestones for progress is determined. Then, it is immediately placed into Obry’s experienced hands. For an entire week, Obry drives the car to and from the shop, making notes regarding a vehicle’s weak points that will need to be addressed in the restoration.
“That way we know what we are getting into,” Wetmore said. “He can determine the brake and steering performance. Any driveability concern is noted, no matter how miniscule. Then we’ll do a full electrical evaluation and we’ll look it over to see if any parts are incorrect... so we can come up with a list of parts we may need to replace. We basically have to vet all the components of the car to restore the car as correctly as we can.”
The car is then researched to ensure it is authentically restored while it’s components are thoroughly photographed right down to the part numbers, bulbs, lenses and engravings. If there are incorrect components — and in the case of Ferraris, many have been upgraded with later parts — MPI replaces them with restored parts, or parts it must make.
The subject car then goes to the dedicated disassembly room, where it is torn down. Components that must be restored are sent to various areas of MPI so that when the chassis and body are painted, the parts are ready to be re-installed.
“Once we have a work list put together, we start metal repairs and while all that is going on, the engine is being rebuilt, the transmission is being rebuilt and the components are getting rebuilt,” Wetmore said. “It’s such a huge advantage to have those parts done and waiting to go when the body is done. We try to take the experience that a dealership line tech would have. We try to take that kind of mentality and that kind of thinking. That way, at the end, there are less surprises and less chance of error.”
A 1960 Ferrari 250 Series II Pinin Farina cabriolet (left) and a 1962 Ferrari 250 Series II Pininfarina cabriolet are being restored simultaneously for two related men.
The car’s components all of the way up to the engine are also tested on the shop’s dynos before they are installed on the car. This methodology ensures the components are fully sorted before they go into the car, thus avoiding potential scratches or damage to fresh paint and body work.
The whole restoration process on a Ferrari in average condition can take as little as 12 months, a credit to MPI’s efficiency and expertise. The final step is a road test that ensures the car is ready to be delivered to the owner, whether it be on a show field, race track or to his home.
As MPI expands its expertise to Lamborghini and additional foreign and domestic marques, expect those days of the tiny shed to look more quaint by each accolade with each passing year.
MOTION PRODUCTS INC.
8540 State Road 76
Neenah, WI 54956
920-725-4688