The Motor City is home to one of the top restoration facilities in the country, Classic and Exotic Service, Inc. MCG pays a visit. 

 

Brian Joseph is the proprietor of Classic and Exotic Service, Inc., of Troy, Michigan, which specializes in the restoration of the collector car world’s most prestigious vehicles, including Duesenberg, Maserati, and Hispano-Suiza. Starting as a novice mechanic in 1974, Brian opened his own shop in 1988, and today he has 30 employees working in two adjacent buildings that cover over 30,000 square feet.

From his immaculate facility, Brian and his staff can handle most every type of classic car work, from tune-ups to ground-up Pebble Beach-grade restorations. By necessity, a key part of Brian’s work is custom short-run manufacturing, from specialty threaded fasteners to a batch of Duesenberg J cast-aluminum oil pans we saw during our visit.

This weekend, Brian kindly hosted a tour for the Society of Automotive Historians and the Detroit area’s Henry Leland chapter. Among the wonders we saw in progress: a pair of Duesenbergs, a Cord 810, two Hissos, and a new Tucker constructed from a pile of spare parts. The shop’s finished work can be seen at the finest classic car events in the country, from St. John’s to Pebble Beach. Gallery below.

 

Brian Joseph (left), owner of Classic and Exotic Service, Inc.

 

1930 Packard Eight 7-passenger Sedan 

 

sheet metal fabrication area 

 

1937 Cord 812 SC Sedan 

 

Upholstery area 

 

Duesenberg Phaeton under restoration 

 

Yamazaki Mazak YZ-90 vertical mill 

 

1935 Duesenberg SJ Victoria by Fernandez and Darrin

 

Hispano-Suiza under repair 

 

Bare Duesenberg radiator shell 

 

Tucker 48 in progress