Some people are content to drive a car or truck that looks just like thousands of others on the road. Then there are the non-conformists, driven to express their automotive individuality, by customizing their vehicle—or restoring a classic.
Plymouth resident Kevin Vickers falls into the latter category, one of those whom New Hope-based Automotive Concepts is in business to serve.
Automotive Concepts customized Vickers’ 2010 GMC Denali, adding power running boards, high-tech navigation/DVD components, additional horse power, an enhanced exhaust system (to improve mileage) and front-and-back strobe lights. AC also recently finished a complete (frame included) restoration of Vickers’ prize-on-wheels, a 1969 Lincoln Continental with distinctive “suicide doors.” (For those not in-the-know, suicide doors refer to car doors that open in the opposite of the regular direction—hinges are at the back, and the front of the door opens. They are considered more dangerous than standard doors because of the possibility of opening while the car’s in motion.)
Automotive Concepts began in 1986 as a small shop installing “after-market” features such as sunroofs, vinyl tops and leather interiors. Since then the business has grown into a multi-million dollar enterprise, along with the seemingly infinite range of equipment, electronic devices, parts, finishes decorations, paint colors and other modifications available to vehicle owners—we’re talking all the Pimp My Ride-style bells and whistles. Typical restoration projects cost between $80,000 and $150,000.
President John Prosser bought the company from its founder in 1988 and is the majority owner. General manager Jeremy Luffey is a minority owner in what has become the Upper Midwest’s largest installer of aftermarket accessories. More than 8,000 cars, trucks, SUVs, ATVs, motorcycles and boats are serviced in its 36,000-square-foot shop each year. One reason for the company’s steady growth has been its ability to roll with the trends, both economic and automotive. (There are fashion trends in the custom car world, too, you know.)
“A few years ago, lifted trucks were big; then it was two-tone paint jobs, and that morphed into something else,” Luffey says. “Now it’s big wheels.” He estimates classic car restorations only account for 5 to 10 percent of the company's business.
Automotive Concepts weathered the downturn that began in 2008 by diversifying into auto body repair, mostly paid for by insurance companies. He’s also seen an influx of used cars being brought in for repainting, new interiors or other freshening-up projects. “Traffic and weather aren’t dictated by the economy,” he says. “People still get in accidents, and there are still hailstorms.”
Kevin Vickers won’t be driving his restored Lincoln through any hailstorms; it’s use will be limited to leisurely drives in nice weather with his wife Kristin and children Mason and Madison. Owning a car with suicide doors has been a longtime dream, “ever since I saw the [1995] movie Bad Boys when I was a kid,” says Vickers, who inherited the custom-car bug from his classic car-owning father (Doug Vickers owns 11 street rods.)
Restoring a 48-year-old car is a lengthy, painstaking process, but the result is well-worth the wait, and expense, Vickers says. He bought the long, low Lincoln on Ebay in August 2007, spotting it as the kind of “true barn find” car buffs dream about. A one-owner car, it had been stored for 20 years in Montana and has only 19,800 miles on it. The complete restoration included changing the color from tan to black, and cost something in the $85,000 range.
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After New Hope-based Automotive Concepts was featured in a 2009 Star Tribune article, the coverage had far-reaching impact. After reading about the car-customizing firm, a representative of the Chinese government contacted AC. A meeting with owner John Prosser led to a contract to develop a six-wheeled all-terrain vehicle the Chinese can use for border patrol. A joint venture company, Golden Bull Auto, was formed, with China’s Shenzhen Zhongtiejian Automobile Trade Company Ltd. as the majority shareholder.
Automotive Concepts general manager Jeremy Luffey says the firm is nearing completion of the prototype, and already has orders for 200 of the vehicles. AC and Golden Bull also plan to make prototypes for additional ATV models, which will likely lead to orders for 500 to 1,000 more vehicles, according to the companies.
Automotive Concepts, 2731 Nevada Ave. N., New Hope; 763.535.2181; ac-mn.com
