This California Company Is Bringing Classic Cars Into the Future

There’s no feeling like hitting the open road in a vintage car—but actually maintaining one is an entirely different story, with mechanical issues, hard-to-find parts, and poor performance. Now, one company is on a mission to deliver on both the promises of classic car ownership, and the realities of it.

New California start-up Kindred Motorworks takes unrestored classic cars and gives them an inside out overhaul, turning them into modern vehicles with respect to the makers’ original visions. First up from the company are a Bronco, VW Bus, and Camaro LT, each with its beloved lines, but with head-turning paint jobs, fresh interior finishes, and, with new combustion engines, a break at the gas pump.

Bringing cars like these up to speed typically isn’t a process you can rush, says Kindred’s founder, tech entrepreneur and classic-car hobbyist Rob Howard. "I had a notebook where I kept track of everything I did on the car," he recalls. "One day, I realized how complex it was and knew I could organize it in a much more efficient way using technology."