Velocity Restorations | Peter Millar

I. Beginnings

NNostalgia is a feeling as old as time. Pining for the good old days comes with every generation. Especially today, in an age where we’re constantly being overwhelmed with newness, where trends emerge, disappear and reemerge at the speed of light, it’s understandable to want to keep grounded with things and ideas that have a longer shelf life.

While an overabundance of nostalgia can be a burden, a healthy dose of it helps us to have proper perspective on what’s important, what inspires us, and what is meant to endure. It’s a delicate dance to balance it all, to look forward and backward at the same time. It’s exactly where Velocity Modern Classics thrives.

Back in 2011, Stuart Wilson was fresh out of a decade of service in the Navy and settling back into civilian life in Pensacola. Trained as a nuclear engineer, he was light on his mechanic skills but confident in his ability to learn and figure things out. A half-finished ‘76 Bronco he had sitting in his garage proved to be the perfect jumping off point. After restoring and selling it, he started on another, then another. Soon enough, a full-time business was born, with a head full of steam.

Wilson understood quickly that the principles he learned in the Navy would be essential in scaling the business to keep up with demand while retaining the quality of those original custom builds: “Put your mind to it, and get through it.” This steely will to get things done, a passion for process, and an obsession to fit the best of the old with the best of the new has propelled them to where they are today.

From the original 600 square foot facility to now 135,000 square feet and more than 100 team members, the company has ridden the wave of enthusiasm for classic cars to new heights on their stellar reputation, innovative processes and exceptional transparency. And while they’re most associated with Ford Broncos, their reach has extended beyond them, with the shop now offering American classics like Mustangs, F-100 and F-250s, as well as Chevy K5 Blazers and International Scouts.

II. Process

When you think of a classic car being restored, you’re probably picturing a slow, piecemeal, do-it-when-you can approach. An enthusiast chipping away on the weekend or a small shop that may get through a few builds a year, with a ballpark timeline that could stretch on for years. That’s not the story at Velocity.

Speed, efficiency and specialized focus are readily apparent across the operation. A finely tuned assembly line takes each car through a nine-station process from bare metal to road-ready, rip-roaring machine. Following years of complete customization, Wilson and his team have taken much of the guesswork out of the restomod process. Instead of unlimited options at every turn, Velocity specializes in spec builds that triangulate past customer preferences, trusted suppliers and their own innovation. It’s a semi-set menu with certain custom options available, with best-in-class materials and craftsmanship across every element of the design.

This streamlined approach has helped Velocity to both scale their own in-house operation and ensure the utmost quality and timeliness for their customers. Each build is held to a strict 12-14 week timeline, which includes a rigorous 500+ mile testing and tuning period and a final 300-point inspection. When a car is released into the wild, no stone has been left unturned, and it’s ready to take on both nights on the town and family road trips with a sense of stress-free excitement.

“First and foremost, we want to focus on drivability and quality. Aesthetics come third, but across the lineup, all are true to that heritage look.”

III. Character

In terms of what shapes the character of these vehicles themselves, for Wilson, it’s simple. “First and foremost, we want to focus on drivability and quality,” he says. “Aesthetics come third, but across the lineup, all are true to that heritage look.”

Drivability starts under the hood. Every Ford build is outfitted with a brand-new Gen 3 Coyote 5.0L V8 engine, while GMs are powered with new Gen V GM 6.2L LT1 V8s. A little extreme? Maybe a tad bit. Incredibly fun? You better believe it.

To the naked eye, nostalgic elements are still tastefully present, and on a quick glance they do look like extremely well-appointed restorations, certainly with an outsized cool factor. Getting down to the details, you realize that a Velocity build is so much more than just a “nice old car.” It’s an exceptional modern machine on par with the highest quality luxury vehicles on the market. It might be skinned like a classic, but sure doesn’t handle like one.

The beauty of these reborn designs lies in the balance between originality and faithfulness. Windows are powered by what looks like a vintage hand crank but functions like a modern switch. Instrument panels pay homage to the original dash setup but work like what you’d expect in a top-of-the-line car from today. Headlights keep the original shape but are fit with powerful LEDs.

For Wilson, perfecting that balance has a lot to do with synthesizing the skill and influence of both classic craftsmen and more innovative engineers. Left to their own devices, craftsmen might gravitate towards faithful detailing while engineers might oversteer in favor of function. Their collaboration results in designs that are both clever in retaining the original character of the vehicle while pushing the accelerator on technological advances.

With creature comforts and modern ease inside designs that drip with head-turning, old-school cool, Velocity vehicles are four-wheeled manifestations of having your cake and eating it, too. No weird rattles, no annoying quirks, no limits. Just pure driving pleasure, reliability and comfort from the moment you first hear the snarl of that V-8.

Careful with the accelerator. It’s a doozy.