What’s old is new again

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

Northeast Philadelphia businessman Alan F. Lewenthal has about as much experience in the television industry as Martha Stewart probably has in an auto body shop.
Yet Lewenthal is fairly confident, and perhaps rightly so, in a concept he’s developing for the boob tube’s next great hit program.
It’s mostly a cross between American Chopper and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. And you might even throw in a bit of Stewart’s Living, if for no other reason than both entrepreneurs thoroughly enjoy life’s finer things.
In Lewenthal’s world, those things include a 1906 Cadillac Model H, a 1914 Ford Model T, a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda Hemi, a 1939 Packard Hollywood Darrin V-12 and a 1913 Pierce Arrow — all fully restored to concourse show specifications.
In effect, it’s like Lewenthal has been producing his program every working day since May, only without the cameras. That’s when he opened his classic auto restoration business in Somerton.
The Northeast may be overflowing with auto garages and body shops, but Lewenthal’s Marquis Auto Restorations, at 10085 Sandmeyer Lane, is clearly several cuts above.
Whereas motorists who take their vehicles to most shops do so only under duress and with the humble objectives of getting their cars merely functioning and street-legal, Lewenthal’s clients bring their vehicles to him by choice.
And when he’s through, the car owner can expect to pay anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000 — that’s on average. Some jobs can cost several hundred thousand dollars and take a year or more to complete.
The niche market is so rare that only a handful of shops of its caliber exist on the East Coast. Yet, in the tri-state region alone, there are countless high-end car collectors in need of his services, Lewenthal states confidently.
To them, money is little or no object.
"Some people do this for the passion," Lewenthal said. "They want the finest vehicle for (a certain) era, and that’s what we provide. It’s not about return on investment."
By contrast, the restoration shop is very much a for-profit venture.
Lewenthal, a 41-year-old Wynnewood resident, got his feet wet in the industry as a collector. After following his father into the family’s 30-year-old kitchen and bath wholesale business, the father and son tandem began amassing their own impressive roster of rare autos.
They stored the show cars locally.
A couple of years ago, they placed a couple of them up for sale, prompting media magnate and fellow collector John S. Hendricks to come calling. Colorado-based Hendricks has founded a stable of popular cable-based television networks, including Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet and Travel Channel.
"John Hendricks bought two cars from us. His business manager, she called me and asked if I had any storage space," Lewenthal recalled.
Lewenthal then developed a rapport directly with Hendricks and began assisting him with other vehicle acquisitions and restoration projects. Soon, they made their business arrangement permanent.
"John and I spoke and decided that if we were going to keep working on cars, we were going to do it ourselves," Lewenthal said.
Plus, Hendricks had his own special project in the works. He was looking to open his own museum, the Gateway Colorado Auto Museum. He hired Lewenthal as the museum’s head of acquisitions.
In January, Lewenthal was the museum’s agent at the heralded annual Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz. He bid successfully on six cars, including a one-of-a-kind 1954 Oldsmobile F-88 prototype sports car that never made it into production.
The gold-colored vehicle, which resembles an early Corvette but is distinctly beautiful in its own right, sold for an auction-record $3 million.
Meanwhile, with Hendricks’ backing, Lewenthal began putting his elite shop together. He scouted for the most skilled restorers he could find in the area, bought two existing shops and merged them, keeping the top craftsmen from each.
"I needed the best body man, the best paint man, the best engine and electrical man," he said.
So far, they’ve invested about a half-million dollars into building a state-of-the-art shop. A computerized paint system designed by DuPont cost $20,000 alone.
Seven restorers make up the current staff, including restoration manager Jim Keegan — the resident Corvette guru. The shop is the lone official restorer for the Gateway Museum and contracts non-museum clients as well.
The exposure generated by the record auction purchase, along with a feature article about the shop in the current issue of Philadelphia magazine, has kept public interest high. The shop already has 15 outside projects lined up, in addition to the museum work.
The emphasis is on giving the client exactly what he or she wants.
"Unlike many restoration facilities, we’re in contact with all of our clients. We give them choices along the way on how they want to do things," Lewenthal said.
It’s a process that he thinks would work great as the basis of a TV program. And with Hendricks’ backing, it’s easy to see him getting a shot at it.
American Chopper, featuring the renown Orange County Chopper customization shop, is a big hit for Discovery Channel, as is Jesse James’ Monster Garage, in which the host leads teams in building hot rod cars.
Even MTV has a popular car-customizing show, Pimp My Ride.
However, Lewenthal noted, "Nobody out there right now has a show on authentically restored vehicles."
That might not be the case for too long. ••
For more information about Marquis Auto Restorations, visit www.marquisautorestorations.com or call 215-969-2770.
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com