Willy Wonka’s Restomod Factory For Gearheads

Driving past Bayberry Vintage Autos, as I’ve done so many times over the years, there are no tells, no obvious indications that Willy Wonka’s Restomod Factory for Gearheads is just beyond the front door. When I walked in for the first time, gobsmacked is a word that came to mind. Over here a Kurtis 500S, over there a Ferrari 412 Straman Spyder, and through an open archway – the shop. Laden with projects like a custom Ford Bronco, a C3 Corvette restomod, and so. much. more.

At the time of my visit, the work underway ranged from upkeep on a customer’s spectacular original 1958 DeSoto Firedome convertible finished in a lovely mint green…to a C3 restomod powered by an LS3 from Don Hardy sporting Kinsler cross injection and exposed carbon fiber intakes…to a full custom dubbed Whiskey River that was “just” a chassis and powertrain when I laid eyes on it.

Curating and Creating Epic Customs Cars

It’s quite the setup that Jim Dunaway and his crew have there at Bayberry Vintage. One fairly described as heaven for car folk. I’ll be honest. I couldn’t help but ask Jim if they were hiring. Walking through the front doors hooked me. After Jim generously took the time to walk me through what goes on behind the scenes, I finally realized what I want to do when I grow up. Create, build, and curate world-class resto cars in a place such as this.

It was a Craigslist ad that brought Jim to Bayberry many years ago. An ad seeking “mechanic for classic car shop.” To say Jim was qualified is something of an understatement. A lifelong Ford guy – his grandfather worked on a Ford assembly line post-WW II and his father spent a career in Ford sales – Jim came up in speed shops and cut his teeth in the Ford Asset Program.

A History Of Steeda And Ultra-Fast Fords

Blending in-class work on Ford’s diagnostic approach with in-field work to get the practical side down, Jim came out of this program a highly trained technician. He knew the next step was in the Ford performance universe, specifically Steeda, Roush, or Saleen. It was Steeda that jumped out at him, however, with its cutting-edge prototyping, 3D printing, and grassroots approach to the work of going fast.

Unfortunately, this process required selling his coveted 1972 Mach 1, but as Jim will tell you, he made the right move heading down to Florida and joining Steeda. That saying about if you love what you do, it won’t feel like work is apt here as Jim’s job involved designing, manufacturing, and testing high-performance systems on the track to the point of failure.

This approach, led by Steeda’s founder John Moore, meant the high-performance aftermarket manufacturer handled some 60% of development for Ford Racing circa 2006. A time that saw icons like the Ford GT and S197 GT500 pushing performance envelopes.  It ultimately led Jim to John Bohmer, Performance Power Racing, and the “Badd GT”. A HEAVILY modified 2006 Ford GT that broke the 250-mph standing mile barrier and has since gone on to a truly nuts 310 mph.

Advanced Engineering At Bayberry Vintage Autos

So, when Jim returned to his New England roots and responded to that Craigslist ad, he was more than qualified. And hungry. In the years since he arrived, Bayberry Vintage has been transformed from a relatively low-key restoration operation to a top-end restomod shop turning out one-off stunners that trade hands for serious money.

The full-tilt process starts with a 3D scan – of the entire car – and ends with trick engineering features like 1400 CFM fans mounted behind custom fender and hood vents designed to remove heat with alacrity. Getting there requires 1:1 CNC milling of foam blanks, SolidWorks modeling, and one-off 3D-printed final pieces. I should back up. At the very beginning of a Bayberry Vintage project, like say a custom Corvette, are the digital renderings, examples of which are mounted around the shop to ensure the owner and crew are on the same page.

A Brief Bayberry Vintage Restomod Highlight Reel

The finished vehicles, like a 1971 El Camino finished in Autumn Harvest Gold Metallic and powered by an LS Classic 376 with a fully custom cabin are the kind of cars that will have you standing and staring with a big stupid grin on your face. Or at least that was my reaction. Jim has worked on more cool cars than most gearheads could ever hope to, so he understandably struggled to choose favorites. To give you a sense of why this is a challenging task, here is a quick highlight reel of a 1970 Olds 4-4-2 that Bayberry Vintage created.

Beginning with a 4-4-2 drop-top, the factory chassis was swapped for a CNC laser-cut SPEC series chassis from Roadster Shop. Building out the foundation included an Eaton Detroit Truetrac diff with 3.70 gears, Fox coilovers, Baer 13-inch cross-drilled brakes, and 18-inch American Racing wheels with Nitto drag radials out back. Up front, a Chevy Performance LS376/525 paired with a 4L70-E automatic to send 525 horsepower to the rear wheels.

Of course, there is quite a bit more that went into this Rally Red Olds 4-4-2 convertible to make it the kind of restomod featured in the pages of Modern Rodding. But the point is, Jim Dunaway is a serious car guy and his team at Bayberry Vintage Autos in Hampton, New Hampshire are creating incredible works of automotive art. Now Jim, about that job…