Ferrari Restoration Stories - Tom Yang - V12 Engine Dreams & Vintage Car Life
To All The Cars I've Loved Before: Classic Car Restoration, JDM, and Automotive History
To All The Cars I've Loved Before: Classic Car Restoration, JDM, and Automotive History
Feb 18, 2025
Ferrari Restoration Stories - Tom Yang - V12 Engine Dreams & Vintage Car Life
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Car
Nissan 300Zx
The Nissan 300ZX is a sporty car made in the late 1980s and 1990s that is loved for its speed and cool looks. It has a strong engine and is fun to drive, making it a popular choice for people who enjoy cars.
Car
Delorean DMC-12
The DeLorean DMC-12 is a unique car from the early 1980s that has shiny stainless steel on the outside and doors that open upwards. It's famous because it was used as a time machine in the 'Back to the Future' movies, making it a favorite among fans of the films.
Car
DeLorean 1981
The 1981 DeLorean is a famous car that has a shiny metal body and doors that open upwards. It's well-known because it was featured in a popular movie about time travel.
Part
fuel injectors
Fuel injectors are parts of a car's engine that spray fuel into the engine to help it run. They are important for making sure the engine works well.
Part
mechanical fuel injection system
This is a system that helps deliver fuel to the engine using mechanical parts instead of electronic controls. It's an older technology that was used in many classic cars.
Term
air-cooled VWs
Air-cooled VWs are Volkswagen cars that don't use water to keep their engines cool. Instead, they rely on air, which makes them simpler and often easier to maintain.
Car
Volkswagen Rabbit GTI
The Volkswagen Rabbit GTI is a fun and sporty version of a small car called the Rabbit. The 1984 model is one of the first GTIs and is known for being enjoyable to drive.
Car
Honda Prologue
The Honda Prologue is a new electric SUV that Honda is planning to release soon. It's important because it shows that Honda is moving towards making more environmentally friendly cars.
Term
carburetor
A carburetor helps mix air and fuel for the engine to run. It was used in many cars before newer technology took over.
Term
vintage
Vintage cars are usually older cars that are considered classic and special. They are often at least 20 years old.
Car
Ferrari Testarossa
The Ferrari Testarossa is a famous sports car made by Ferrari in the 1980s and 1990s. It's known for its unique design and strong engine.
Car
Ferrari 250 Short Wheelbase
The Ferrari 250 Short Wheelbase is a famous vintage car that many people admire for its beauty and speed. It's a classic model from Ferrari that collectors really love.
Term
V12 engine
A V12 engine is a powerful type of car engine that has 12 small engines inside it. This helps the car go really fast and makes a unique sound when it runs.
Term
transmission
A transmission helps the car change speeds. It connects the engine to the wheels so the car can go faster or slower.
Term
cave art
Cave art is a term used by DeLorean enthusiasts to describe signatures or marks left by workers inside the car. It's like finding a little piece of history inside the vehicle.
Car
Ferrari 330 America
The Ferrari 330 America is a vintage car made by Ferrari in 1963. It's famous for its powerful engine and stylish look, and many car enthusiasts love to collect it.
Concept
over restoration
Over restoration is when a car is fixed up too much, making it look too new and losing its original charm. It's important for car lovers to keep some of the car's original features to maintain its value and history.
Brand
Ferrari
Ferrari is a famous car brand from Italy that makes very fast and expensive sports cars.
Concept
classic car value appreciation
Classic car value appreciation is when old cars become worth a lot more money as time goes by, especially if they are rare or special.
Company
Scott Drake
Scott Drake makes parts for classic Ford cars, especially Mustangs, helping people restore them to their original condition.
Car
Ford Mustang
The Mustang is a popular sports car made by Ford, famous for its speed and design. It's been around since the 1960s and is loved by car enthusiasts.
Car
Aspen station wagon
The Aspen station wagon is a type of car made by Chrysler. It's a larger vehicle that can carry more people and luggage, making it good for families.
Concept
fastback
A fastback is a type of car that has a roof that slopes down smoothly to the back, making it look more stylish and sporty. These cars are often more valuable than regular coupes because of their design.
Concept
coupe
A coupe is a type of car that usually has two doors and a fixed roof. They often look sporty, but they might not be worth as much as fastbacks when sold later.
Term
four-speed
A four-speed is a kind of car transmission that lets you choose from four different speeds while driving, helping the car perform better.
Term
reliable
Reliability means that a car works well and doesn't break down often, making it dependable for daily use.
Car
Sunbeam Alpine
The Sunbeam Alpine is a small British convertible car that was made in the mid-20th century. It's known for being fun to drive and has a classic look that many people love.
Car
Dodge Journey
The Dodge Journey is a family-friendly SUV that can fit a lot of people and stuff inside. It's designed to be practical and is a good option for those who need space for kids or gear.
LIVE
You have found, to all the cars I've looked before, your authoritative podcast on automotive
nostalgia, where every car tells a story, every machine has a soul, every car has a culture.
It's time to plug in dust off, get a little grease on the hands, and memories in the
mind.
Welcome to new listeners, Oslo, Norway, Salt Lake City, Utah, North Liberty, Iowa, Ashburn,
Virginia, close to Doug, okay, I love saying this one, Etobicoke, Ontario, I think I got
it.
Does that sound good?
Does that sound good?
Yes.
You got it.
Oh, big coat.
Nailed it first time.
Where else?
Dallas, Texas, easy one to say.
Reykjavik, Iceland, that's in there, what a great podcast.
Reykjavik.
Reykjavik.
Reykjavik.
Miami, Florida, and Allentown, Pennsylvania, Allentown, great song by Billy Joel.
I am Christian, he is Doug.
Good evening, partner.
How are you?
Doing great.
Christian at CarsLove.com, that's right, Christian at CarsLove.com, he's Doug at CarsLove.com,
and we have a really special guest today, can't wait to introduce him.
Today's theme, restoring history.
Why are details important when restoring history?
When restoring a vintage car, a vintage Ferrari, or a vintage church built about
800 years ago, we'll get into that in just a moment.
So get into calls to action here real quick.
We continue to see traffic movement on our link tree, L-I-N-K-T-R-dot-E-E slash CarsLove.
That's where you can get to all our online presences, so Facebook, Instagram, YouTube,
where else partner?
Where else are we?
Our website, our blog, our form to submit yourself or a friend to be a guest on the show?
Absolutely.
We also started a newsletter of which I first, I wrote the first edition and it's sitting
in my editor-in-chief's inbox.
Right editor-in-chief?
It's still there.
It hasn't been forgotten.
It's just been ignored.
Beautiful.
So what else is going on with our outreach efforts here?
Anything new going on?
I know that YouTube, still, we're still getting traffic there.
Yeah.
Yeah.
YouTube, we've been having fun with YouTube shorts.
We did put out an entire YouTube episode with Speedy Cop, aka Jeff Block, a great
friend of the show, amazing guy.
We'll have the full audio episode out in a few weeks, I think, by the time people
listen to this.
And let's see, you've been updating the blog and on that note, Christian, I've shared
in the past that cars that are important to me, of which I own now, I have a 1990
Nissan 300ZX Z32.
It was not the car I had in high school, but it was the car I wanted, a close friend
of mine who's no longer with us had one, he really got me in the car.
So that car is special to me.
It's about five different colors because it got hit a bunch of times.
So it needs to be painted.
And then, of course, the 1981 DeLorean, which can't say enough great things about
it.
I make great friends.
I've taken it to events, made people smile, people laugh and point and smile
when I'm going down the road.
And I've done so many things with it.
I've taken the interior out.
I just replaced the fuel injectors.
Pretty much myself on a very antiquated mechanical fuel injection system by Bosch.
And the car is running better now.
So everything I've fixed, nothing has broken permanently.
It's all fixable.
And it's the gift that keeps giving.
So what about yourself, Christian?
Tell us about it.
Oh, yeah.
Well, yeah.
We were just chatting about how I banged up my vintage Pontiac.
Little, little, little painful one talking about that yet.
Yeah.
This 2007 green.
A lot of fun.
A lot of fun.
We've been interviewing a lot of people about air-cooled VWs, vintage VWs, and I'm
thinking a lot about it.
It wasn't air-cooled, but my VW Rabbit GTI 1984 and the 80s.
It was that car was so much fun.
So much fun in there.
High school and into college, just piling great people into it, going to have fun.
Very sporty car.
And yeah, I think I need to, I'm looking at the new ones online.
I just don't think there are many, many old ones there to be had, but.
They're out there.
They're out there.
Do you want me to look for you?
Yeah, please do.
And if you get sick of the 300ZX in your garage, Doug, just box it up and send it
down.
We'll take it.
We'll park it right next to the boat that I gave you.
That's right.
It's on the list, too.
It's on the list, too.
Oh, right.
Moving on.
Okay.
We have a great guest here today.
But before we introduce him, little prologue, a little preamble.
There's a through line.
Bear with me for just a moment.
Today's theme, restoring history.
Why do historical details matter?
Well, about a week ago, I was watching a documentary about the Cathedral of Notre
Dame.
Okay.
Burn Down 2019.
Just reopened it.
And I sat down to watch this and I thought, you know, they're going to bring everything
up to code, steel trusses, titanium struts, this and that.
When they're rebuilding the church, especially the spire that fell, all that had to be fixed.
It's not the case.
That's not what happened at all.
They found these Parisian artisans and sent them all out in France and said, you got
to find a certain kind of oak, certain kind of height, certain kind of diameter.
You're going to bring it to these sawmills.
And all these sawmills around France pitched in free, okay.
Started milling the oak down, sending it back to Paris.
So it was not the latest technology.
It was the original technology.
Church was built 800 years ago and still use these old techniques to fix it.
And so there's a through line in preparing for today's show.
Our guest is Tom Young, who restores vintage Ferraris.
Same thing.
Okay.
And we're going to get into that.
But Tom, good evening.
Good afternoon.
How are you?
Welcome to the show.
Hi.
Thanks for having me, guys.
What did you, have you know anything about Notre Dame or did you, do you remember
it?
Yes, actually, I was in Paris before the fire.
So it was when we heard about the fire, it was just so upsetting because it was
just, I think it was only about six months prior to that that we were, we were there.
So.
Wow.
But again, you know, just heartbreaking when we, the whole world saw the video of
that, that collapse and just seemed like it was just, it was beyond repair.
I mean, it was just a catastrophic failure and fire.
That's right.
That's right.
And it was kind of the heartbeat of the city and what their people that are religious,
people from outside of the country, outside of the city, money just poured in.
It didn't matter what stripe you were.
It was that important to the city, rebuilding it, to getting the historical details right.
So.
And in New York, we have, you know, we have a cathedral that's been still being put
together, you know, so it's just as the artisans are learning how to do these,
these Gothic cathedrals.
It's like, when you think about that Notre Dame has been around for so long
and then it has to be rebuilt.
Again, and I totally agree that you think that they would do with modern materials.
But no, absolutely.
You have to preserve the original.
I mean, for it to survive so many hundreds of years, you know, there's
nothing wrong with the way it was originally built, you know, well put.
So that's exactly right.
Is that St. John the Divine, by the way, that you're referring to?
Yeah, exactly.
And because of the price of it, it may never be finished.
You know, because because it takes so long.
But Tom, please tell us a little bit about what you do and how you fell into it.
So I guess I'm a mechanic.
I'm a mechanic on vintage Ferraris.
And I usually when I first meet people, I tell people I work on pre-72 Ferraris,
anything built before pre-72.
People say, well, what's the cut off at 72?
And I usually say it's carburetor.
I like working on carbureted Ferraris.
So pre-72, most of them were V-12 engines.
And they were kind of classified as vintage Ferraris.
Although vintage keeps moving, the goalposts keep moving.
Now, you know, a Testerosa built in the 80s is considered vintage.
And all those things.
So so I guess at some point do we start calling them classic Ferraris?
But so that's that's kind of what I do.
I started, I guess a lot of us started because we just fell in love with the car.
I was always a car guy.
So ever since I was a teenager, I've had cars.
But when I saw a Ferrari for the first time, I just said, OK,
what I think is cool about all these other cars that I have and own and all,
I don't know anything that's going on with vintage Ferrari.
And I've got to learn everything about it because just just the beautiful shape.
The first one that I saw in person was a 250 short oil base,
which is kind of a high watermark to kind of surpass.
And and I just couldn't believe how beautiful it was.
It was so low and the shape.
And then once they fired up the engine, it was like, I never heard a 12 cylinder
Ferrari and I mean, just running like that just sounded so like just.
What did it sound like?
Oh, that did you say?
It's like, yeah, I mean, when you get this Ferrari, it's like, it's a,
you know, a Ferrari is beautiful.
It's it's like I used to joke about it.
Like, OK, so let's go back to the story.
Right. So I meet my mentor at his shop.
That's the first introduction.
So my mentor's name is Francois Saccard.
He is a fairly well known for our restore in the in the 70s and 80s.
He worked for Kennedy Motors, which is the story of Ferrari
coming to America and establishing a foothold and dealer in America.
And Francois worked for Kennedy.
So he learned all the ways of putting Ferrari together,
apprenticed at the factory in the 60s, came to America and started his career
at Ferrari. So by the time I met him in the late 90s,
he he was he was fairly well known and I was introduced to him at a shop
and he had this short wheelbase and I remember it was under a cover,
like a like a Gaussian cover.
And as he pulled the cover off, it almost felt like you're lifting
a skirt because it was like the the the fender is is basically
this this this beautiful feminine shape.
And I almost made the epiphany where it's like, oh, these sneaky Italians.
They just they're just forming these these Rubinesque shapes of of sculpture.
But then you take that and you're kind of like, OK,
so that's why all these dudes like these cars.
And then all of a sudden you go and fire it up
and it's got this like mechanical anger and fury and like I'm ready to go.
And you just basically meld this this this attraction.
Like, look at these guys who ride choppers and they have this this big tank in front
of them and they're right like think of all that like subconscious stuff
that they're doing, right? So it's the same thing.
It's like and you put all the power to it and the noise and the vibration.
So that's that's kind of like my wow, this is this is really cool.
And and so I just I made that decision.
So I don't know how I'm going to get how I'm going to get one.
But I got to get one of these things.
And you made it and I made it.
I found one and just kind of looking back.
And I guess if it hadn't been that meeting, that chance meeting,
I may have gone another direction, but it was pretty pretty wild.
How my whole life changed course because of that one epiphany, right?
And required reading for this journey is Tom's website.
Tom young dot net T O M Y A N G dot net.
And so he's got so much information started about what?
Twenty twenty five years ago is a collection for Tom's writings,
podcasting, interview, pictures, stories, his life journeys is as he.
So when he got his car, it really changed his life.
And can you talk a little bit about how continuing to put everything
in one place became this sort of clearinghouse for great information?
But the first part, second part is, do you still update it to this day?
Sure, sure. I still do it.
I think, you know, I started blogging before they were called blocks.
So in nineteen ninety nine, my nephew was was a computer science major
in college and I had him write the script so that I could actually,
how do I do this so I could get pictures and put it in there
and I could just fill the type in and he created this little script
and we created the script before there was blogging software.
So in nineteen ninety nine, that really didn't exist.
And and but I didn't start it to think of what a blog was or anything.
It was just this thing called the World Wide Web that had picked your place.
You could put pictures and stories.
And I was learning so much from this mentor.
I was learning so much for Francois and and he was so generous
to Cheryl's information and I was just blown over by the coolness
of the like the insides of an engine or transmission
or how I was just just beautiful stuff.
And I really was so excited to share it and I was photographing it
and and you know, digital photography was also getting affordable
and accessible to all of us with digital cameras.
So I just wanted a place to put it, even if it was just for my own
collection of photography and talking about how cool it was.
But then other people I found that people all over the world
were interested in the same thing.
And I would find things like, especially with Ferrari,
because all cars are fun and learn and watch the journey
because I watch YouTube channels.
I have a YouTube channel.
I look at other people's journey and how they start
and they how they fix it and they succeed.
There's some real journey of success stories of people doing that.
And it's all like human triumph and all sort of stuff.
So there's a lot of reasons why we watch this stuff.
But also for me, the Ferrari stuff, I used to say,
there's a million websites to show you what a what a color
what for their favorite color Ferrari is.
But there's nobody that shows you the hammer marks on the bottom
side of the fenders that was done by a craftsman 50, 60 years ago.
And those marks are still there.
It's kind of like what you're saying with Notre Dame.
It's like when they recreate those beams, those hand-hewn
marks in the beams, although destroyed, those that that
craftsmanship still exists as an artifact of that person's work.
He may be gone and forgotten, but his his mark on the world is
still there and it's your duty to preserve that.
And so for me, that's sounding hokey about all this stuff.
But I wanted to celebrate those those hammer marks because it's
like, this guy's gone.
But he he in this, you know, in Maranello or in Modena was
in there with a little hammer hammering out this stump or
hammering out this fender.
And those marks are still there.
And even something as pedestrian as my car, which is a
three-third, this red one behind me, I could take the panels
off and you could look underneath it.
And those little hammer marks are still there.
Pretty cool, you know, and and modern cars when they just
stamp another one and boom, it's another stamp, another
one, boom, it really doesn't have that like allure to just
this hand-hewn piece, you know.
So well stated.
Yes, so well stated.
I know Doug wants to hop in here.
But interesting, we really take for granted that the
modern contrivances all around us are all made by, you
know, mass production, right?
Assembling, I visited a Hyundai factory in Montgomery, took
my kids, completely amazing place.
And, you know, there is an assembly moving very slowly
and people are kind of crawling in there and
know, assembling this and assembling that.
And you just watch as this whole thing kind of no art
to it. It's completely a business.
It's complete. But that's how in this day and age we get these
amazing machines brought to us for for some sort of reasonable
price. Let's bring Doug in.
Doug, you wanted to get involved here.
Yeah, no, just to think about the about the hammer marks and
whatnot. And I'll tie it into my DeLorean because that's what
I have to tie it into.
So in the DeLorean world, we have what we call cave art.
And so that's where whoever was working on the car that
particular day behind a panel on the inside of a panel, on
the inside of the stainless steel door, they might have
signed their name on it with the date.
And my car has some of those.
I was nice enough to let my kids go ahead and take not on
the panel itself, but just on the inside of the interior
part. And we all signed our names on there and put the
data. So some future owner will get to see it.
But it's so neat and some some owners have found even
original tools from the factories in the factory in
Ireland. So I mean, that nostalgia, it kind of never goes
away. And I know in the history of DeLorean is really
neat, because when you think about how much excitement
there was, I remember when when when John DeLorean was going
to create that car, and they had created the factory in
Ireland and all that was going to bring all that all
that work, you know, in jobs and everything. And and
there was so much excitement. Unfortunately, it went the way
that it went. But at the same time, the history is so rich
of that when you think about seeing hand sign, because
that hand signing of pieces from people who work to the
factory was part of that wave of excitement and new
beginnings of a factory to build this wonderful car
that they put together.
Yeah, it was a social experiment, right? Protestants
and Catholics working together during the
Troubles. They had separate entrances, but inside
they worked together side by side. It would have
been great if it worked out. But, you know, I know after
we we spoke to Cat DeLorean, John Stoddard, and, you
know, he he loved the Irish people. And what a what a
great experiment that was. And it lives on to this
day, just just like your 1963 Ferrari 330 America.
No, but all I think all cars have that they all
have that great history. And I think that every one
of them, you know, talk about the culture we
talked about earlier is it's each car represents the
culture. It represents art. It represents, you know,
the the times it's it's not, you know, some people
look at us car guys and they're just like, Oh, what's
the big deal about cars? It's just, you know, people
look at them as as appliances or they just get
them to work. It's like, Oh, it's a lot more than
that. There's there's art. There's there's
history. There's manufacturing. There's
engineering. There's design. There's there's so
much to it. And it's all wrapped up in one
thing, you know, it's it's a it and you
can drive to the store in it, you know, but
it's very usable. Or you could just stare at
it, right? Right. And walk around it and find
something new. And, you know, I want I wanted to
ask you as a vintage restorer, how do you and I
saw this post the other day from you on, I
want to say it was Facebook. I think you were
looking for a glass glass cover for a light.
Sure. Sure. And somebody said, Why don't you
just 3D print it? And I think your response
was, No, that won't work for this. No,
how do you balance? I think that there's
certain things you can do at 3D printing, but
I also think that 3D printing is not the end
all, you know, people have this idea that,
you know, you just you just scan it, print
it, hit, you know, hit return and it spits
them out. That's that it's not really
that it's still a lot more, you know, finesse
to do something like that. But for me,
it's like I took I don't I don't know
if I put the video because, you know, I
do so much different media for different
things. But one and I may and may not
have been out there yet. But when I took
the glass piece apart and you take a
little screwdriver and you just go
clink, clink, clink, you know, it's
glass. Yeah, I heard you made it in
print. You know, it doesn't have that
sound. And like, if you know what
you're looking at, it's like, wow, you
get disappointed. You know, it's like
it's like seeing somebody with a fake
Rolex. It's like, Oh, nice watch.
And you look at it and the watch ticks.
Oh, it's like disappointment because
it's a fake. You know, it's like, it's
like you want real. You want you
there's certain things that you can
just be assured that it's real. And
it's the little tells that if you
know if you're around this stuff
long enough, like I know watch guys
can tell a watch from across the
room. And why would I want to pull
those guys, you know, or like a guy
who could look at a car from, I
mean, like my friends who are in
for ours, we stand at a show
field from literally across the
field says, Oh, my God. And we
all know exactly what we're
looking at. You know, that's wrong.
So our thumb. So so how do you how
do you balance, you know, speaking
of these old parts and, you know,
things from the factory that maybe
weren't quite done right? I mean,
my part has a thousand examples of
that. Sure. When you're doing a
restoration, right? Do you try and
make it as good as new, a little
bit better? I kind of
varying degrees. It's coming back.
I mean, I used to blame, you
know, and I hope he doesn't get
mad at me, but I used to blame
Ralph Lauren, because Ralph
Lauren was, you know, every
generation has like the new guy
that makes so much money, he's
willing to overpay. You know, we
had John Shirley, we had, you
know, like when Microsoft made
them when when when when, you
know, Ralph Lauren made a lot
of money and he was ready to
buy. He set the new tone, the
new standard for how much money
he would pay for a Ferrari
because he could afford it.
Then when John Shirley came
around and he paid what? And I
remember talking to John Shirley
at one point where the next
level of guys, the next level
of cars were caught and John
Shirley, I'm never going to pay
that kind of money for that
car, but he was the guy who
overpaid like 10 years prior
to that. You know, so each
generation kind of gets to
these guys. And and so what
happened with with Ralph
Lauren was when he got a car,
he just said, I want it to
be done to my level of
standard. So he had them
restored to the point where
his car showed up at a car
show and it just knocked
everybody's socks off. I
mean, the paint is flawless, the
chrome was fall off. Everything
was like perfect because
that's the standard that he
had. Then what happened was the
show field says, oh, Jesus, if
I'm supposed to compete with
that, my car needs to be at
least as good as Ralph
Lawrence. And it kind of set
through the eighties that
they were over restoring and
over restoring. And it was
just this arms race of
over restoration until at
some point people just kind
of started to appreciate
original cars. And we sort of
say, well, that's not how
they originally looked like.
And so it's kind of come
around to the point where
we're there's certain people
who are starting to adopt for
over restoration. But I don't
think it's it's it's waved
around as a threat to for
restorers to remember that
that let's not over restore
these cars. So so we're
constantly changing the
gold poster or the bar to
figure out where what is a
good car. But but we are
trying our best to to come
back to terms and say they
don't have to be perfect,
perfect, you know, because
they weren't perfect when
they when they came, you
know, the other problem that
we have is that these cars
are not, you know, when
Ferrari was new, any of these
cars were new, they were
$10,000 cars, a lot of money
back in the 60s. But now
that same car is worth a
quarter million or a half
a million dollars. Well, you
know, people have a certain
like they have a certain
idea of what a half a
million dollar car should
look like. And so you
can't paint it like with
crappy paint and, you know,
or just try to make it
like orange peel and say
that's that's the way
it was, like, oh, it's
still got to look kind of
like, so there is a certain
level in which people want
to make it look good. So
it's constantly, I don't know
if I can answer that
question. Yeah, it's a
balance, right? And it's
a varying balance. Sure.
Yeah, that's a good point.
And now Doug wants to hop
us in his time machine
and bring you back to
the beginning, Tom. But
before we go there, I
love this line of thinking
right here and talking
about the restoration process
and in what attention to
detail. We'll talk about
this a little bit before
but on your on your website,
you go into these you have
these little vignettes,
these little stories,
your writings and pictures
around what you look
for in the process
and how you look at
the supply chain and source
parts and products
that you need for your car.
And and I would urge
listeners to go and check
out where you talk
about the interior of a car,
which is really something
you know, you don't
think a whole lot about.
But once you get
into the car, you think
about the leather.
You think about the carpet.
You think about the dashboard
in all of these surfaces
around you and what it takes
that the hides of a cow
and the quality and does
the grain mesh because it
takes a whole lot to do
the the interior of a car.
And in their tradeoffs
between are we going to
treat this letter leather
or not treat this letter?
If we treat it will last
longer for an application
like a car. But will it,
you know, will it take
the stain the same way
between hides?
So I don't know,
just a thought.
Yeah, when you go down
the rabbit hole and think about
that, I guess it goes back
to what Doug was saying
as a tradeoff.
When do you know when you
talk to suppliers?
If you've got the right one,
you just keep moving.
Yeah, I mean, we are constantly
looking at good suppliers.
You know, there are people
who study this stuff.
I mean, thankfully, it's like
we have specialists.
You know, it's like I look
at the guys who are really
good at leather.
They live, drink, sleep,
eat leather, you know.
And those are the guys
that you want to have
conversations with.
You know, it's like the painter.
They're guys who are really
good painters that that's all
they do. They just look at
paint, you know, and
that's who you try to surround
yourself with and have
conversations with where
you're not you're not
sounding too demanding
when you say, I got to get
the leather to have this
feel or it's got to have
this grain pattern or it's
got to have this thing.
And they say, yeah,
absolutely, I'll show you
what I have, you know,
and it's that vernacular
that that you deal with
when you're dealing
with craftsmen.
It's like I tell people
when I did the leather,
there are people who say,
oh, well, let's say back
in the day when I did
my interior, it was told
to me that interior was
fifteen thousand dollars.
OK, I was like fifteen
thousand dollars for an
interior. What do they do?
They stuff the seats
with gold. I mean, what
is going on here?
So I spent some time
with my upholsterer.
And when he showed me
all the handwork and all
the patterns and laying them
out, you weren't just going
to, you know, to whatever
Scott Drake are buying
like an interior for a
Mustang and just slapping
it on there and stretching
it on to the seats.
You were literally taking
the threads and picking
out all the threads and
taking each panel of leather
out and then laying them
on a cow hide on a
leather cow.
I mean, on a cow, you
get on that car with a
four seater. It's five
to six hives, five to six
cows. And the reason is
because a cow, when you
think about the smooth leather,
the back is the smoothest.
The belly of the cow
tends to be a little bit
more puffy because it's fat
and there's fat underneath
the skin. So it makes the
skin. Now these days,
they're they're printing
leather on it, but but
there's still a certain
amount of leather that has
the shape of the cow.
So the smoothest part
is the backside of the cow.
They're right along the back.
So you want to take that
piece and put it on the
stuff that you really see
like the center console
or the or the or the dash
pieces or the big rear
panel under and then the rest
of it, you don't throw away,
but you put on the side pieces
you don't see as much.
So you have to selectively lay
these patterns that you've
taken apart of the old one
and cut them out.
And then you have to look
for scars because, you know,
there's barbed wire.
This is a natural product.
Yes, you get a scar
and you'd have to mark the
scar to make sure that when
you laid your your seat
cushion, the scar wasn't
in the middle of the seat
cushion. So you have to
juggle things around.
All that takes time.
And so then you
certainly say, OK, I
get it because it's like,
that's what you're paying for.
Now, if an upholsterer
says, oh, well, that guy is
charged at $15,000, then I
need to charge $15,000.
No, that's not how it works.
Are you actually going to
give me the quality that we
put into a $15,000
interior these days?
It's not $30,000.
But it's it's it's what
I was so excited to share
on my website because I
we used to have this thing
in New York that was
his company, a suit
manufacturer or a sales.
They said that this model
was like an educated consumer
is our best customer.
And I used to say that that's
what I wanted to show for our
people was like, educate them
to what you're paying for.
You're not just paying for our
tax because it's for our tax.
You're paying for this
because of the quality
that you're paying for.
And that's what I wanted to
show. I wanted to show the
craftsmanship and like
that's what you're paying
for. You're not just paying
it because it has a Ferrari
logo on it.
You're paying for it because
there's six hides that were
cut out and laid in
hand zone and put in this thing
piece by piece.
That's why it costs that much
money.
That's so good.
Thank you for that.
Yeah, when it comes to what
comes to restoring history,
the details matter.
The details matter.
And celebrating those people
who did it.
I mean, I think that we're
doing the same thing.
The guy who did those
interiors, you're just
doing you're trying to keep up
with his level of craftsmanship.
You check you study
how he did it and they
OK, I see what he did.
He cut this back and I have to
do the same thing.
So you're just doing the same
following reverse engineering.
Yeah, point.
Good point.
All right.
So Doug wants to get in the way
back machine and let's let's
talk about your first car,
Tom.
OK, first car official.
I have a twin sister.
So so we had to share a car.
OK, so I don't know if I
should count that because that
was just the Aspen station wagon.
Although, you know,
they were all the Dodge
Aspen station wagon,
those six.
But my my first like my own
car was a 66 Mustang coupe.
And so I was in high school
and I bought my my brother-in-law
had had an old 66 coupe
and it was a plain Jane Mustang
coupe. It was an automatic
no air conditioning, no
para-stereo and just a regular.
But it was a V8 and and I drove
that all through high school
and and and basically I think
I I didn't really hang out with
him. I just was a gear head.
I would spend all my time
fixing the Mustang, you know,
so I spent my old high school
career instead of hanging out
at the 7-Eleven.
I'd be at my buddy's shop,
like taking stuff out or
fixing stuff or do all that
other stuff. So I cut my teeth
on my my 66 Mustang.
OK, OK, going going way back
and and your your parents
were good with that.
They had no fear about.
Yeah, my parents were well,
kind of, you know, like my
parents coming from a Chinese
family, it's like they wanted
me to go and become a doctor
or something that I was always
just messing around with cars.
And and I think I tell everybody
that I I'm the black sheep
of my family.
I have I have four sisters
and they're all older than I am,
including my twin.
And I'm the only one with just
an undergraduate degree.
They all are doctors, lawyers,
judges, like they literally
like overachieving Chinese family.
And I'm the youngest
and I've only have an
undergraduate degree.
And on top of that, it's an art
school. It's a it's a
bachelor of fine art.
So like if you want to
disappoint your parents like
that, that was what I did.
And the joke about it,
what I joke about it with my
sisters is like, yeah, but
I'm probably the only one to
the fail is having more fun
than anybody else.
So one hundred percent.
Yeah, you know, for sure.
But I bet I managed to succeed.
Yeah, I mean, the main thing
about it was I think I took
that work ethic and says, well,
I'm not I'm going to prove
them wrong and show them that I
could succeed at a degree
doing what I love to do as
opposed to the path that they
would choose for you.
All right. Yeah.
Yeah. So so Mustangs
ran in the family
a little bit, right?
A little bit.
But yeah, I worked.
I had the Mustang.
And then when I got to college,
I was still patching the Mustang
together. And I made, I think
my first automotive realization
was that I found a
sixty five Mustang fastback
four speed car.
And I said to myself,
if I have to fix the floor
pans on a fastback or a coupe,
it's going to cost the same
amount of money.
But the fastback is always
going to be worth more money.
So I need to as much as
it killed me to sell the coupe
to buy the fastback.
I knew that the smart thing was
to put the money in a car
because, you know, repairing it
is the same.
I mean, mechanically, they were
the same car.
But I knew that a four speed
fastback was going to be worth
more money, even if it costs
the same money to fix it.
So I ended up selling the coupe
and kept that.
And I still have that fastback
today. Yeah.
And and and it's
and it's proven wrong.
I mean, I mean, proving me
right, I haven't put much
money in it.
But it's I built the engine
and today it's like money
in the bank.
Yeah. Yeah.
And and good memories
too, of chore, chore
way in the way back.
So I did want to ask you.
So I think your daily driver
is a three nine nine
six Porsche.
So it's one that I use more
often. It's my daily, believe
it or not, because people ask
me, what is a Ferrari
mechanic drive? And I drive
it accurate.
I would say you need to
you need a you need a car
that's reliable and doesn't
need any work ever.
You know, so I've always been a
big Honda and Toyota fan
of daily driver choice.
And, you know, no offense
to anybody out there.
But I would say like if they
if they poo poo the fact that I
drive a Honda or Toyota, it's
like, well, my other car is
Ferrari. So I don't really
not really worried about
impressing anybody.
But the thing is I do
definitely feel like, you
know, it's being in a way
I'm showing to my customers
that I'm pragmatic, you know,
I don't need to show off
with with an expensive car
and, you know, charge you
charge you higher rates because
I need to keep the car
payment up on my S class, you
know, so.
But yeah, but my other
car is a nine nine six.
I've always been a Porsche guy.
I mean, I went.
So I guess we wanted to talk
quickly about my my automotive
career or or journey.
They went Mustangs.
So I learned American pony
cars. And then from there
after the Mustang, the fast
back, I bought a Sunbeam
Alpine, which is a little,
you know, to British Roadster.
Yeah. And I kind of felt
like it's my journey
because I really was always
like British cars.
I thought they were cool,
but I wanted to learn about them.
So I found this great little Sunbeam
and I remember seeing one
on the on school campus
when I was in college.
So when I when this one came up
for sales, I'll go buy that.
So I ended up buying the Sunbeam
and then after the Sunbeam,
I've always been into Porsches.
So at one point
one of my sisters, my over
achieving sister is a physician.
So she had bought a new nine
eleven and showed up all
the other kids of the family.
So we're all like, well,
what are these days?
I'm going to get a Porsche.
I'm going to get a nine eleven.
So another sister got one.
So they had two Porsches
in the family and then
and then I ended up buying one.
But I bought one, of course,
is the mechanic of the family.
I bought like a
and at the time
they weren't worth a lot of money.
I bought a seventy two nine
eleven that needed some work.
But I paid twenty two hundred
dollars for it because that's
what they were worth back then
in the nineties.
And and who knew
that they would go crazy in price.
But I drove a nine eleven
and had to attract it
and fixed it and got introduced
to nine elevens.
And and and so
the story with the nine eleven
is I sold it for Ferrari parts
because at the time I was
in the middle of a story
that the Ferrari
and Ferrari parts are expensive.
So I ended up cutting loose
to the the nine eleven
and regretted it ever since.
So about five years ago,
I was looking at cars
and I as much as I didn't admit
that I would drive a water
cool car, I was really impressed
with the nine nine six.
And so I bought it
and I've been just loving it ever
since. I mean, it's it's it's
I mean, I mean, I wish
I still could afford to have a seventy
two nine eleven.
But the nine nine six drives.
I mean, if I'd done the stupid
things I did in the nine nine
six in my seventy two,
I would have been in the trees.
You know, the nine nine six
is so much better stuck to the
ground than the seventy two.
I agree. Agreed.
Yeah. And you just reminded
me of a story.
And I think you all appreciate
this about kids and school
and achieving.
So I was at a holiday
party over the weekend
and I had heard this story,
but I finally had a chance to ask
the son.
So the father had a nineteen
ninety two nine six four
Porsche and he had told his son,
maybe his son begged him, I don't
know. He said, if you get into
college and get a full
scholarship, this car is yours.
And the son did it.
The son got the car, didn't
keep it too long, ended up selling
it. He's like, man, I just keep
kicking myself because it would be
worth like five times as much
what I sold it for.
That's right.
And his dad's like he had to learn.
He had to learn.
So it was a good lesson for him.
Yeah. Who knew, you know, it's
like it's like I kick myself
for selling the seventy two.
But you know, at the same time,
I still kept the Ferrari.
So I think I did OK.
Yeah, yeah.
And it's been about took
you about eight years to restore it.
Yeah. Yeah. No, I bought.
And the thing is, you know, the
I was on and off.
Yeah, I always tell people I was
an idiot when I bought my car
because I was probably the only
idiot that would be willing to
pay that kind of money.
Because, you know, at the time,
ten thousand dollars more would have
bought your running and driving
car, but I didn't have ten
grand more. So I had to buy
what I could afford and and spent
you know, what I thought was only
going to take a year to put it
together and it had taken me eight
years to put it together
and and a lot of time and money.
But at the same time,
you know, it's only now in
restaurants that you look like
you're a genius because the
prices of these cars just kind of
kept going higher and higher and
higher. But I didn't buy it
expecting it to go up in value.
It's just that's what they cost.
That's what I had to buy it for.
And that's what I did.
Right. And it made your career,
right? I think to quote you, it
changed your life, right?
Yeah. Yeah, no, I mean, that's
that's the part who would have
thought. I mean, it's like you
buy a car and as hokey as
that sounds, it literally changed
my life. And and I've had offers.
I mean, now the market has gone up
and it has calmed down a little
bit. It's gotten a little softer.
But I remember having dinner with
my wife and daughter
and I come home and OK, guys,
I just got offered one hundred
and fifty thousand dollars for the
car, you know, and my wife,
oh, we don't need to sell it.
It's OK. And then like about a
year or two later, I was like, OK,
guys, I just got two hundred and
fifty thousand dollars off and on
the car.
Well, and my daughter at that time
was probably eight or nine.
It's just like, oh, you can't sell
the car. I wanted that car.
I love that car.
And I was like, Ellie, one day
when you're old enough, you're
going to understand what a quarter
million dollars actually is.
You know, it's just like it's
just funny when when, you know,
those kind of numbers start coming
up and you never expected it to
do that.
So as a part as the market starts
to soften and the car
values start losing value on those
cars, you know, which is to can
happen.
I don't regret it because it never
was about the value.
The car.
People get so upset when car values
go down. And I look at them and
I ask them, you know, the car
that you loved in your garage
didn't all of a sudden become
five twenty percent less
enjoyable.
I mean, it's still the same car.
It's just the market that has
changed. I don't understand why
you're so upset about it, you
know, it's still a good car.
So it is because people
are focused on value as opposed to
just what brings them joy.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, good point. So as we guide
the podcast gently towards
the offering here, Tom, two last
questions for you.
Why are the Italians so
good at design?
What what is it about there?
And Nate, you I think you said
genetics, which made me laugh,
but I think you made it right.
What is it? Where did where did
the Renaissance? I mean, like
look at the Renaissance.
I mean, since the Dark Ages,
since since we've created
a society where we no longer had
to be farmers and we had time
to make things beautiful.
I mean, it started in Italy.
I mean, just that it I don't
know what it is, is the water is
that the people or whatever.
But it just they they had this
innate sense of design.
You know, you go to Italy,
they dress nicer.
You know, they don't do
anything without like
without thought to aesthetics.
You know, I used to say that
and I love German cars.
But if a German car is pretty,
that was by accident, you know,
I mean, like a sense of like
when you look at a gearbox
and the way they put it together,
like if it's pretty
because of the ribbing, it was just
not because it was because
they deal with it first.
It's a form of function.
Right. But the Italians
will just sit there and says,
No, no, no, we can't.
We can't. We got to add this.
And you look at the way
they put the casting and they
do that not because I mean,
they have they have European
engineering, but they still have
this innate design sense.
And I think it comes from just
it's it's in there.
It's in their soul.
Oh, great answer.
Great answer.
Last question.
OK, so the way you learn
from Francoise Cacar,
who are you going to teach?
Have you ever given any thought?
Is there I know there's me?
There's going to be some young
buck. Yeah. Oh, boy.
Doug's on his way to your house
with a push broom now, looking
to volunteer for eight hours for
for one question for one hour
of instruction.
But it has been it has been
a question that has been asked
and discussed among my friends,
among among people who have
foundations that support this
kind of stuff, who want to do it.
I mean, it really has been
this discussion and it's been
on my mind.
Personally, it's tough
because I'm a one man show.
So I do all the stuff by
myself. Francois basically did
to it. I and he was very
generous to give me the time
and I should give back to do
the same. And I have been
doing it with with a couple
people here and there.
But the issue is, you know,
if you have to find the right
person because, you know, a lot
of I get I get I do get emails
from people who says, I want to
do what you do.
I would love to do what you do.
And I was like, well, what is it
that you think that I do?
Because what you see on
YouTube and what you see in
social media is me going to
car shows and driving these
ferrari is these million dollar
ferrari is and having, you
know, wine and cheese and these
places, you know, what you
don't see is what I'm laying
under a car and I'm getting
dirty and my my hands
are permanently stained from
oil and crease.
But I mean, not that I hate
that I love it, but it's not
what it's what do people
want to do. And to find the
person that loves it to their
soul, it takes some time.
And the investment of that
time, especially when I only
have one person that can
invest that time, it's a
it's a struggle.
So I don't know, maybe
the right person will come
along. Maybe I was the right
person to come along for
Francois and it just happened,
but it took us 25 years to
figure that I was the right
person. So I don't know.
I would like to try, but I
also think that the reality
of what we do might not
be for all those people who
think that they want to do
it. Yeah, the people like
the trophy, they don't like
the sweat, you know, can't
really have one without the
other. But right. Great
answer. Great answer.
Well, well, Tom, thank you so
much for spending some time
with us. I would encourage
everyone out in Listenerland
to check out Tom young dot
net TOM YNG dot net.
So much fun. You will fall
down the rabbit hole.
Tom's a great writer.
And you know what I want to
do you have any T shirts
left Tom? I do.
I do. I definitely have to
send you guys up. Thank you
for definitely what we're
going to say 16 bucks
plus plus a couple of bucks
for a shift or not.
That I think I think sure the
prices have gone up.
But yeah, I haven't really
been pushing them that much
in fact, because everybody now
has all these like setups where
you could just hit a button
and do it. I'm still packing
them myself and sending them.
I haven't really been
doing better.
It would make it. Yeah, the
vintage guy does it the
vintage way. Are we surprised?
We're not surprised.
That's very well. Thank you
guys for so much for inviting
me. This has been a lot of
fun. Thank you.
Great to talk about this stuff.
Thank you. This was
fantastic. And Listenerland
you have just heard the high
revving low mileage late model
heard around the world
authoritative podcast on
automotive nostalgia.
He's Doug. Reach a bit.
Doug at cars love dot com.
I am Christian.
Reach me at Christian at
cars love dot com.
Leave a review if you like
the show. He was Tom.
You know where to get him.
Tom young dot net.
Please follow. Tell a friend.
Check out our link tree.
L. I. N. K. T. R. Dot E.
slash cars love.
I'm sure we'll see it.
The next local car show show
room race trip or concourse.
Thank you for listening.
Keep the rubber side down and
we will see you in a week.
Take care.
About this episode
Tom Yang shares his passion for restoring vintage Ferraris, emphasizing the importance of historical details in automotive restoration. He draws parallels between car restoration and the meticulous rebuilding of Notre Dame, highlighting the craftsmanship involved. Tom discusses his journey from a Mustang enthusiast to a Ferrari mechanic, the challenges of sourcing original parts, and the balance between restoration and over-restoration. The episode also touches on the emotional connections car enthusiasts have with their vehicles and the significance of preserving automotive history.
Original notes
Click here to share your favorite car, car story or any automotive trivia!
Famed Ferrari restoration expert Tom Yang sits down to share truly enchanting car stories that will transport any listener to a golden age of motoring. Tom’s voice lights up as he recounts the first time he encountered a Ferrari 250 GT Short-Wheelbase Berlinetta – the seductive shape, the V-12 sounds, the smell of aged leather – an experience that cemented his career path in restoration. He then invites us into his workshop, describing the meticulous process of bringing a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTE back to life: sourcing original parts with hammer marks from the factory still visible, preserving the craftsmanship, and the emotional moment when the engine roared again after decades silent. But Tom’s story isn’t just for Ferrari fanatics. It’s about automotive nostalgia and how a love for classic cars connects people. He shares touching anecdotes of reuniting families with their long-lost cars and teaching younger enthusiasts the art of restoration. With insights into vintage car culture, including a stint working with famous collectors, Tom provides a masterclass in why preserving automotive history matters.
Listeners will come away not only awed by tales of rare Ferraris and expert skills but also moved by Tom’s passion. His life’s work reminds us that every classic car carries a story – of those who built it, those who drove it, and those like Tom who give it a second chance to shine.
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