How A Lifetime Of Learning Has Transformed The Vintage Car ‘Restomod' Business

Forbes

4 days ago

Vintage car fanatics are familiar with the downsides of vehicle restoration: the search for parts, the mechanical failures, electrical problems, and the continual drain on their finances, all for a vehicle they may never actually get to drive.
While many are accepting of the situation, others are desperate to own a classic auto they can show off on the road. And for them, there's Kindred Motorworks, a San Francisco-based business that takes a tech-focused approach to the world of classic car restoration and modification. They offer restomod versions of the Ford Bronco, Volkswagen Bus, and Chevrolet Camaro, with both internal combustion engine (ICE) and EV powertrains and other modern-day touches.
Bitten by the sustainability bug
For CEO Rob Howard, it was a culmination of a challenging childhood and extensive industry experience that led him to launch the business in 2019. Raised in a large working-class family in Philadelphia, Howard knew that when something broke in their house, whether it was the TV or the car in the driveway, they had to fix it themselves. 'I learned just enough about how to fix cars from my dad trying to get our cars back on the road,' he says.
At college, he studied environmental engineering, sparking an interest in sustainability. At one point, as an environmental engineer, Howard attempted to secure a job at Habitat for Humanity.
'It's a nonprofit, but I loved their business model,' he says. 'I applied for the job but didn't get it. The reason they gave was my lack of leadership and management skills. And it was true. I was an engineer.'
Strengthening skillsets
Determined not to let that happen again, he studied for an MBA at business school before moving to California. Here, amid a burgeoning tech scene, Howard started his first company, Ensenda. 'It was in supply chain, so I learned a lot about buying and delivering goods, and the importance of the supply chain part of the equation,' he says.
After selling the business in 2014, Howard became the founder and CEO of Grand Junction, a tech company in the logistics space. 'This is where I learned how to build software-as-a-service technology, selling it to U.S. companies that wanted to introduce same-day delivery,' he says. 'One of our big retail customers, Target, saw that our platform allowed them to roll out same-day delivery nationwide very quickly. So, they bought the company.'
At the point of acquisition, Howard had already planned a six-month round the world backpacking trip with his wife and two daughters. 'It was a once in a lifetime thing,' he says. 'So, I spent six months integrating my company, Grand Junction, into Target, and then spent six months with my family totally unplugged. When we came back, Target had fully taken over at Grand Junction.'
Career convergence
As part of the acquisition Howard then continued working with the executive team at Target for a couple of years, where he learned all about retail, another skill that he could add to environmental engineering, sustainability, supply chain and technology. That, coupled with his lifelong passion for cars, created the perfect career convergence for his next project: the launch of Kindred Motorworks.
'I spent my nights working on cars,' he says. 'I knew how hard it was to get these classic cars out on the road and unlock the joy of driving them, because owners of classic and vintage cars are largely disappointed. These vehicles don't start. They don't stop very well. They stink up the garage. And it's hard to find someone to work on them. I knew if we applied technology and standardized this, and did it at scale, we could create a highly dependable car that allowed you to just enjoy driving and owning the car. And that was the start of Kindred.'
Developing the Kindred technology
In 2019, he once again assembled a team of friends he'd worked with in the past and raised capital to build the production facility, a beautiful 100,000 square foot former naval yard building that now produces a couple of cars a week. Their first model was the Bronco.
'There are 5,000 steps to tearing that Bronco down and building it back up the exact same way every time,' says Howard. 'We know every step. It's in our technology. Our tech also helps us deliver the parts to the worker in real time, so they're never searching for parts, which is a huge problem for traditional local auto shops.'
The Kindred team oversee every phase of the restoration process, making it more efficient, cost-effective, and less than half the time it takes to restore a vehicle in a local shop. This technology not only allows Kindred Motorworks to scale production but also to develop a process to convert vintage gas vehicles into vintage electric cars at scale.
Attracting talent
Kindred cars are luxury vehicles, with a price tag of around $200,000, reflecting the high standards of craftsmanship involved in the rebuild. 'We spend 1,500 hours making each car perfect,' says Howard. 'For a Tesla, there's around 30 hours of labor per car. The rest is done by robots. There are no robots here; it's all old school. And the people who work here work with their hands. They love cars, and they love these cars.'
The company has around 110 employees, and Howard insists they haven't faced any challenges with recruitment. He says: 'We are in the San Francisco Bay Area, an innovative auto hotspot - the likes of Lucid Motors, Rivian, and Tesla are all here - so we haven't had a problem recruiting talent and building the workforce.'
For some owners vintage cars are considered an asset class. Kindred customers fall into several categories. Some are sustainability focused. They love old cars but are done with the gas-guzzling cost and want an electric one. Others are wealthy people who simply want to be unique.
Vintage car fanatics
Kindred customer Nick Severino purchased a fully restored and modernized 1968 Heritage Edition Bronco. He was first attracted to Kindred by the vehicles but was won over by its craftsmanship. 'Having something built by hand is rare, so it feels great to support these talented professionals,' he says. 'The Bronco is a beautiful Rioja red, a classic exterior color from the era. The interior details, such as the wood steering wheel, coachwork, and analog switches bring an immediate sense of vintage car refinement.'
The purchase journey even allowed for several 'under restoration' visits, and for Severino's son, a mechanical engineering student, to be involved in a part of the build process, which he says now also makes the Bronco a bridge between generations.
A magnet for investors
To date, Kindred has raised over $50 million in investment, most recently from the likes of Fifth Down Capital, CPMG, Goldcrest, Lunch Pail Ventures, Helium 3 and Robert Downey Jr. Investor Felix Stellmaszek, global leader of auto & mobility of the Boston Consulting Group, is also a member of the board of directors. He first got involved when he had an opportunity to visit the manufacturing facility a couple of years ago and was immediately sold.
He says: 'There are a few players in the retro-mod space, especially for Ford Broncos. However, I have not come across a company like Kindred that effectively combines engineering skills with a technology operating model to scale quickly.'
Meanwhile, Rob Howard's lifetime of learning and expertise is keeping vintage car fanatics very happy. Nick Severino adds: 'The look, the pure Americana of it all, is so great that I have stopped counting how many waves and thumbs up I have gotten along the way, and conversations at red lights, gas stations and beach pull-offs,' he says. 'There is no better way to explore the open road. And all with the confidence of driving a reliable 1968 Ford Bronco.'