Porsche GT cars are special high-performance versions of regular Porsche models. They are built for racing and have features that make them faster and more fun to drive.
Sotheby's Motorsports is a company that helps people buy and sell expensive cars through online auctions. They focus on luxury and collectible vehicles.
Luxury cars are fancy and expensive vehicles that have a lot of comfort and high-quality features. They are designed to provide a better driving experience.
The Ford Mustang is a classic sports car that's been around for a long time. It's known for being fast and fun to drive, and many people love it for its cool looks and powerful engine.
A restoration shop is a place where old cars are fixed up and made to look like they did when they were new. This can include painting, fixing engines, and replacing old parts.
The collector car world is a community of people who love old cars. They buy, sell, and restore these cars because they appreciate their history and design.
SEMA is a big car show in Las Vegas where companies show off new car parts and accessories. It's a great place for people in the car industry to meet and learn about the latest products.
The Dodge Viper is a super-fast sports car that looks really cool and has a very powerful engine. It's known for being a thrilling car to drive, but it's also quite rare and expensive.
A restoration committee is a group of people who work together to help fix and take care of old cars. They teach others how to restore these cars properly.
The Jaguar XK120 is a famous sports car from the early 1950s, known for its beautiful design and speed. It's a favorite among car collectors and enthusiasts.
A ground-up restoration means taking a car apart completely and then putting it back together, often making it look and work like new again. It's a big project that can take a lot of time and effort.
LIVE
Good Thursday to you all. Hey, it's Greg Stanley with the Collective Car Podcast. I just wanted to give you a few updates and now if you're watching on YouTube, I apologize for my background here, but I am at a aloft just outside of Portland, right by the airport.
So I know a lot of you like to comment and especially when you see me talk about my travels. If you're on my newsletter, I do do some pictures and kind of capture where I've been and where I'm going. I just happen to hit this area when the weather is wonderful so I can see Mount Olympia out the out the window, which is really cool.
I've had a couple cool places, including a really cool Porsche GT place. I just specialize in GT Porsches. So if you would like to know more, subscribe to my newsletter. You can do that at the CollectiveCarPicass.com.
And anyways, where am I off to next? Headed up to Seattle as I finish recording this next week. I will be out in Arizona at the Scottsdale Auction. Southeast Motorsports will have a tent up or something will be near the arms Southeast Auction.
So I will be running around there as well. And then after that, actually I'm taking a little vacation, going on a little mission trip down to Belize to help people with their prescription eyeglasses, which I'm not medical in any sense.
I think I will be, you know, the guy standing around handing out stuff probably. And then after that, I hope to go to Atlanta and Dallas and Austin. So if you would like to catch up when I'm in those in your area, please shoot me a note.
Greg at the CollectiveCarPicass. So a lot of stuff going on. As you probably have heard, I'm working with Sotheby's Motorsports a little closer. That's our online division. And they're doing a great job. They have a 70 plus 70% sell-through rate.
And the average value of the car that's sold on the website is $172,000. So if you want to help with your car, now I can't help you with, you know, $30,000 Mustang, which I would absolutely love. But if it's more of the used luxury cars, high performance cars, porches,
Mercedes Vans, BMWs, that kind of stuff, please shoot me a note. I would love to help you with that. All right, well, what's going on from a book perspective, just from an update, everything's done. The book is done. I'm just waiting for one quote from one very important person in the car world.
So it hasn't officially gone to print yet. It is going through the editing process, the formatting process, which I'm excited to see what they come up with. I'm still looking for a mid-April launch date. I think that will definitely happen.
I know quite a few of you have bought the book already pre-launched. So if you want to do that, go to Click the Car Podcast. Just scroll down a little bit. You'll see it there. And for the first 100 books, I will sign and do a little cartoon doodle.
Now you're probably wondering, what will I draw? Well, that's a secret. And it does relate to car history, which will be fun. So the first 100 books are still a few spots left for that.
And then the last thing before we get to our interview is Arm South Abbey's Miami sale. There's still a chance to consign for that. I think we have a week or so left. That is quite an incredible sale.
Last year, it broke records and it's really, really cool because it goes hand in hand with Moda Miami, a two-day concor event. And everything's there on site. It's just absolutely spectacular.
Locale, the cars are incredible. And then you have an auction on top of that. So if you need help with that, please shoot me a note. Greg at the Click the Car Podcast or D Stanley at armsouthabeyes.com.
So appreciate you listening, following, watching, and soon to be reading. So let's get to the interview.
All right. Well, welcome to the Click the Car Podcast. You know, I love restoration shops because I love the work that they do and bring in incredible cars back to life. And I have Amy Hahn back with me. Amy, how are you doing?
Good. How are you?
Good. Good. Now you have Hahn Restoration. Now tell us a little bit about your business and where you're out of.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And while we do full ground up restoration, we will take on some repair because what people say is, no one will work on my car. Please take my car. So I do have a couple of days for repair.
Wow. Okay. So now your name's been around for a long time. Tell us a little bit about the history of the restoration shop and if there's anything in particular you specialize in or if it's kind of, you know, all classic cars.
Well, my dad started restoring cars before I was born.
And then after a while he joined forces with West Woodward. One had a shop, one had clientele, put them together, bring all your tools and equipment and you have a shop. And so they grew because it's the nature of it.
Once word gets out, you go to a car show. Who did your car? So it grew. And my dad then hired more and more people as time went.
Paul Vorbach came on as a partner. West started to retire. And then my dad had me come into the business, never in a million years thought I would be here. I was headed in a different direction.
And my dad said he needed some help. I had a little time to do it. And before you knew it, I was, Hey, Amy, why don't you do this? Hey, Amy, why don't you do that?
Then I did more and more. And then eventually he decided to retire. I took over and had the same amazing technicians the whole time that before I took over after I took over. So that's been made the transition amazing.
They know me. They love me. I love them. And they just continue doing the same work that they always did to the same standards. And then we ended up moving because like all shops, they don't have enough space.
We didn't have enough space. So we moved into a bigger building. My husband built some space for storage and 10 months later, I said to my husband, we need more storage space again.
And we just keep growing. I kind of put a pause on the growing right now. But that's kind of our background where we came from. We also did 3D printing for a while too. And then as that group, Paul Vorbach took on that company.
And we do everything like we were doing a lot of Mercedes because my dad was in the Mercedes. We had had goings in here, 190s, all kinds of Mercedes, the Mercedes club would come here every single year.
We still have probably about 30% Mercedes, but I'm a Jaguar lady. I'm part of the Jaguar club. And we also have a British specialist that came to us from another shop. So we're probably more like 40% Jaguar, 30 Mercedes, and then the other 30 is American.
Okay. Yeah, that's really cool. And I remember actually the first time we met, which was probably, I think, less than a year ago.
It was, you had just moved, I think you had just moved into your new shop. And that was still going through the transition, right?
Yes.
Wow. Yeah. I can't imagine the logistics involved in moving a restoration shop to a different place.
It's a nightmare. I will never want to have again.
Yeah, no kidding. Yeah, more than you think you'll need. And then you'll probably wish you needed, you got a little bit more initially, right?
Right. Oh yeah.
Well, tell me, how did you decide to do the restoration world? Because it is a unique world. Obviously, the collector car world is a very unique world.
Women are not highly represented in this world, especially in the restoration shop business. So how has that transition gone for you?
It's interesting. Some days it's amazing because when men hear that I do this, that they really, they're just amazed.
There's a woman involved in this. And they just can't believe it and get over it. And so there's a fair amount of men that that's interesting to them.
And they don't know exactly what to do with it. But okay, I'm going to talk to you and not your husband.
So, so car shows that's always an interesting dynamic. And then of course there's a few that don't believe that they could, they would be talking to me. They, they're like, no, no, just give me the person in charge.
Right.
I'm like, no, that's me. Yeah. No, no, you know, the guy.
Right.
So that's always, so it can be very interesting. It goes both ways.
But for the most part, it's very well received. And with SEMA, they love it. They just are all about it. They're so excited to have a woman involved. So that's been very welcoming and warm and just a wonderful reception.
Yeah. So tell me a little bit about that because you mentioned you had just gone to SEMA this last, what October, right? Not too long ago.
I got into Vegas. I first went to the Las Vegas concourse, which was amazing because being an East Coast person, I see a lot of East Coast shows and a lot of the similar cars or same cars that run the same circuit.
And going to Vegas, I was like, Oh, no, I have not seen some of these.
And just so many Bugatti's. It was amazing. I had a wonderful time. And then right after that, the SEMA show started.
So SEMA has councils, select councils, and I am on the Armo council, which is automotive restoration.
And I went out there, of course, to be a part of what Armo was doing. We're doing education. We're promoting the benefits of being a part of Armo.
And, but while I was there, I brought a couple of my guys and we shopped. And so we ended up purchasing a laser that arrived just yesterday. No, last Friday.
So you're talking about like a real laser, not like a Chrysler laser.
No, like a real laser beam. We are lasering the rust right off of cars. It edges the metal. It does everything all at one time. I'm watching it.
I just came in to the office from the shop and I put the glasses on and I'm watching it and it is just the most amazing thing.
We had seen it years ago, but it was too much money. And finally we're in the position that we could purchase it. And I mean, the excitement for everyone here is just enormous.
I also shopped for a new lift, needed a better one, a bigger one, and was able to get one that's bright pink. So not too many shops have the bright pink lift, but you will when you come to a woman owned shop.
And also Ben pack gives 10% to meta viper and that's metastatic breast cancer. And that's something that my mom passed away from. So what I saw that that's what they were giving to I was all in.
And I can't wait till that gets installed next month.
Wow. Okay. No, that's amazing. And is it a single car lift? Is it a four post the two posts?
It's a single car lift. We have a four post and we use that for when we have goings in.
Oh, okay. And then we have another two posts list so you can't have the guys arguing over the lift. You have, you have to be a good boss and give them.
Yeah, now tell me a little bit about the restoration committee that you're on what's kind of the goals of that committee for SEMA.
So we work on education for shop out not just shop owners but there's you know there's a lot of manufacturers in SEMA and certainly in the restoration on Armo.
And I think when I kind of came into it, I thought, oh, there's going to be all these manufacturers and there's not going to be someone like me.
And I'm always looking to learn from those that have gone before me. I do not want to reinvent the wheel. I want to learn from the others.
And so I saw a lot of restoration or a lot of manufacturing companies in that restoration group, ones that we buy from.
So I love networking and love talking to them and seeing what they're working on because sometimes you can't get parts.
And if they're on the horizon to making something new that we're going to benefit from, I love to network and find that out.
So I love that aspect of it but I also really wanted other shop owners.
I have gone to other cities and looked up restoration shops and then contacted them to see if I could come for a tour and talk with them and network.
And I was like, well, this is just bringing them all together and I wouldn't have to travel so much.
So I'm like, this would be a great thing. And it has been. So there's been more and more restoration shops getting involved.
So you don't just have the manufacturers, you have those restoration shops all together. It's making a nice rainbow of shops and manufacturers that you can go to and learn from.
And then our group does education every quarter.
And I'm really excited for one of the education pieces to come up about AI, because I want to learn about AI more than how that can help in the shop.
And so I'm eager to do that one. And then through the networking, I've found I've gotten deals and discounts and try me out and come over here.
And those things have been a huge blessing to the shop.
Wow. No, that's amazing. And I know SEMA is quite an organization. I just had Mike Spegnola on the podcast recently and that was more about PRI as well, the integration of PRI.
And I could just tell from his passion for the industry and for the hobby, whether it's more SEMA based or more racing based like the PRI piece of it.
He was all about, you know, the education, engaging the next generation, as well as really communicating the fact that there's a ton of jobs in the automotive industry for anyone, especially young students right now.
So it's great to hear these types of committees involved within SEMA where you get a lot of networking opportunities that can help out different businesses and really grow the industry as a whole.
So that's really cool. So before I forget, what's the best way for my listeners to learn more about your restoration shop?
Go to the website, Han, H-A-H-N, auto restoration dot com.
Okay, I have a lot of photos on there, but I need to also load the site on nice and finished. Another car gets finished. And so I will be putting a few more on there.
So speaking of which, what is one of your favorite cars in the shop right now?
I have so many favorites. That is such a hard question.
I think probably the 1954 XK120 Jaguar.
It is a full ground up restoration. And the lines are just beautiful when it first was the paint job was finished, and it rolled out. It was just like a work of art, like a piece of glass.
I love rounded glass. And so it just looked like this artwork. And it's so much more details than I'd ever imagined.
I think sometimes when I look at a Jaguar, it just looks simple, especially an XK120. It's a simple car.
And then I have all glass on the sides of my office so I can see the guys working and non stop this detail, that detail, this little nut. And it really amazed me watching this one get put together.
What colors is it?
It's that white cream kind of color.
Oh yeah, okay.
And then red interior.
Oh, great color combination.
Wow.
It's beautiful.
Alright, so as a crazy recap here, you've had quite a year and a half, two years or so. You're in a new place. You've got a new pink lift coming. You've expanded.
You started a storage business that's at capacity.
So what does 2026 look like for you?
I believe it or not, I still need to hire another guy. I hire more people, and then someone moves to another state. And I get all mad at them. So I'm looking to hire another one or two people.
We'll have an intern that is a woman. So I'm super excited to be a welcoming place for other women in the industry. And I have men that are very, very eager to also have women involved.
They love that.
And then I'm just going to finish some restorations and bring some new ones in. And I am not going to build another building yet, not in 2026.
Right.
2028.
Yeah, give me two years.
Yeah.
Well, awesome. Well, I really appreciate your time on the collective car podcast. I appreciate what you're doing in the restoration business and the involvement with SEMA.
Thanks for being on the collective car podcast.
Thank you so much, Greg.
About this episode
Amy Hahn Beck shares her journey in the automotive restoration world, taking over Hahn Auto Restoration from her father. Based in Pittsburgh, the shop specializes in classic cars, particularly Jaguars and Mercedes. Amy discusses the challenges and triumphs of being a woman in a male-dominated industry, her experiences at SEMA, and the importance of networking within the restoration community. She highlights new technologies like laser rust removal and her commitment to education and inclusivity in the automotive field.
Great restorations don't happen by accident—they're the result of patience, judgment, and an uncompromising respect for history.
This conversation features Amy Hahn Beck, owner of Hahn Auto Restoration, one of the most respected restoration shops in the collector-car world. With decades of experience restoring important automobiles to the highest standards, Amy offers a behind-the-scenes look at what true craftsmanship really means.
We discuss what separates a good restoration from a great one, how originality and authenticity factor into long-term value, and why the best restorations are as much about restraint as they are about execution. Amy also shares insights into working with discerning collectors, concours expectations, and how restoration philosophy has evolved alongside the modern collector market.
For anyone who cares about preservation, provenance, and doing things the right way—this is an essential listen.
Do you need help buying or selling your collector car? Contact Greg directly at [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]. I know, that's a lot of emails but I answer them all...eventually:)
A special thank you to our new sponsor, Discover Once, curators of one-of-a-kind automotive adventures you'll never experience twice. Learn more at discoveronce.com/muscle.
And as always, huge thanks to RM Sotheby's for their continual support and for making so many of these automotive dreams possible.
Listen to the "Octane FM: Shift, Rev, Repeat" album on Spotify!
Stay connected with The Collector Car Podcast—find us on our Website, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or reach out to Greg directly via email.
Join RM Sotheby's Car Specialist Greg Stanley as he brings over 25 years of experience and keen market analysis to the world of collector cars. Each week, Greg dives into market trends, interviews industry experts, and shares insights—with a little fun along the way. New episodes drop every Thursday and are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Learn more at www.TheCollectorCarPodcast.com or email Greg at [email protected].
