Transparency in every project.
With the announcement that Frank and Pat Wismer's elegant 1930 Packard Standard Eight Club Sedan had garnered Best in Class honors, the Black Horse Garage team gathered excitedly at the crowded award presentation area on the world famous road racing circuit's start/finish line to watch the Wismers accept their first place trophy. However, we did not expect that in just a few more minutes Kjell Kjellberg's lovely 1952 MG TD and M.S. Koly's stately 1935 Rolls Royce 20/25 sedan would also take Best in Class wins! Of course, our crew was thrilled to see our clients happily accept their awards from some of the most knowledgable collector car judges in the country, but we were equally delighted by the fact that all three of the cars were recipients of extensive restorations performed by Black Horse Garage craftsmen. Congratulations and thanks again to our loyal clients!
"It is a bit misleading to call Black Horse Garage simply a collector car restoration and service company. This is because the Black Horse team is so much more to me that I consider them my automotive family. I depend on them for professional advice and the restoration and repair services they perform on my collection of antique and classic automobiles. The thing I like most about Black Horse is their personal service, the attention to detail they provide and the high quality work they perform. They are a team of collector car experts and world-class craftsman second to none. I can best describe Black Horse;'s services as "transformative" because they recently transformed a very deteriorated 1930 Packard Club Sedan my wife and I purchased into a show winning masterpiece of automotive art and history. I cannot recommend Black Horse Garage more highly."
"When I first purchased the 1952 MG TD, my goal was to find a collector car restoration and repair shop that would return the badly deteriorated little car into a reliable "driver" I could use and enjoy. All of that changed however when I met the staff at Black Horse Garage. After seeing the quality of the work done in their facility and the enthusiasm their collector car experts and mechanics had for the project, I decided to have the MG undergo an in-depth "frame off" concours level restoration. Their committment and expert craftsmanship turned the MG TD into a "best of show" level vehicle and a strong contender at any nationally acclaimed concours venue. Furthermore, opportunities arose to acquire three more collector cars, all now under restoration at Black Horse. In one class or another, they are all potential show winners. There is no such thing as second class work at Black Horse, regardless of one's budget. Every car leaves with a mark of pride or it is not done at all; no apologies needed. In it's very first competitive effort, the 1952 MG TD took Best of Show at the notable Fountain Elms Concourse in Utica, NY while up against cars that included Packards, Cadillacs, Rolls Royces and a large field of other spectacular automobiles. At the recent Fall Vintage Festival concours event held at Lime Rock Park, the MG was scrutinized two separate times by a team of expert judges before earning Best in Class honors. Who would have imagined?"
"For me, the Black Horse Garage is misnamed. I call it the White Knight Garage.
I have been a customer of Frank Buonanno and Black Horse for more than 20 years. Frank is not only an outstanding expert/mechanic but he is also a friend and a decent human being. To name just a few of my business transactions with Frank:
He and his expert team performed a body off restoration on my 1963 Mercedes Benz 220 convertible, The car became a trophy winner at many regional shows.
Frank and his craftsmen performed extensive restoration work and rebuilt the engine in my 1935 Rolls Royce 20/25. This Rolls Royce has won practically all the major trophies at the RROC (Rolls Royce Owners' Club) National Meets. It won Best in Class honors many times, the Shamrock Trophy (for the most improved car since the last National Meet), Best of Show twice, and Best among Previous Winners.
Of interest is that in order to have a car judged at an RROC national meet it has to be driven to the show and not trailered. If the distance is enormous then the RROC requires a minimum of 100 miles to be driven after the car arrives at the show. I drove the 1935 Rolls Royce, without a mechanical failure, to Ottawa, Canada, Lexington, KY, Asheville, NC, Newport, RI, and the Homestead, VA.
In addition, to the above Black Horse Garage has worked on my 1979 Corniche Drophead another multiple winner at the RROC Nationals. Also, several of my others cars: 1973 Buick Centurion, 1968 Ford LTD w/428ci engine, 1979 Lincoln Mark V, 1973 Jaguar E-Type V-12 Roadster.
More recently, the day-to-day management of Black Horse Garage was handed down to the next generation. Frank's son , John, has taken over and under his excellent leadership the garage has expanded tremendously and added additional outstanding mechanics, body shop experts, and able support staff all housed in larger facilities. Frank is still at the shop every day however, meticulously rebuilding complex engines and overseeing projects.
Two months ago I entrusted my 1935 Rolls Royce 20/25 to Black Horse Garage for a repaint. John made sure the work was finished before the September 6, 2009 Lime Rock Park Concours d'Elegance event where the car took Best in Class honors. The exterior finish can only be described as flawless.
In closing, I feel compelled to mention another car, although I know Frank cringes every time I bring it up. It is my 1977 Toyota Celica GT. Yes, you read it right, for 30 years Frank and Black Horse have maintained this car: engine/body/interior, but that's a story in itself for another time. I enthusiastically recommend Black Horse Garage to every collector car owner seeking an honest shop that always provides expert guidance, outstanding craftsmanship, attentive customer service and great value."
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