At the helm of every Classic Restorations project is founder and president Melvin Benzaquen. A lifelong auto enthusiast and road racer, Melvin turned his passion for fine cars into an internationally recognized specialty auto restoration and modification business.

An alumnus of the University of Michigan, Melvin earned an engineering degree from the renowned auto design and engineering program in Ann Arbor. He later went to work for Ford Engineering Research and Development. For several years, Melvin worked in the auto insurance industry.

Melvin is a nationally recognized authority on classic American muscle car restoration and modification. He is a regular contributor to “High Performance Pontiac” magazine, both answering questions in the Tech Q&A section, and as subject of the Poncho Body Basics series.

Melvin is actively involved in every project that comes through the garage, from installing exhaust systems to reshaping body panels, and even personally applies the decals at the end of a restoration. He is supported by a staff of highly skilled mechanics and artisans who work on five to ten project cars at a time.

Melvin lives in Westchester County, near New York City, with his wife and family. When not at Classic Restorations, he often can be found at the racetrack or a car show.

The Facility
We have relocated to scenic Pine Island, New York.  Classic offers a complete service facility incorporating full garage and body shop just 60 minutes from New York City.

All bodywork, paint and mechanical work is performed completely on premises. We offer complete interior customization and restoration, electrical work, audio and electronics installations, custom graphics and stripes, and more.

If you have ever seen a car and wondered, "how'd they do that?" - we've probably done it. Whether it's a while-you-wait performance enhancement, or a full frame-off restoration – if you have a special vehicle, you have special requirements. You've heard the horror stories of unqualified shops taking years to butcher irreplaceable cars, you've seen the results of "discount" bodywork riddled with filler - you need someone who knows how to do it, who has done it before, and who has a reputation for quality that will leave you confident when you contract for the job, rather than concerned.

Our international clients have us ship cars worldwide, and the results have graced magazine covers and coffee-table books.

We're as proud of our reputation as our clients are of their cars. The quality of work we put out is a direct result of the passion that Melvin has and every vehicle is treated as though it was his own.