<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1Byrou_1H1kEoSP00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1Byrou_1H1kEoSP00" width="1080" height="720" ><figcaption>Kindred Motorworks Founder Rob Howard, left, and Strategic Advisor Michael Strahan</figcaption></figure>The building sat empty for thirty years. Now, on Vallejo’s Mare Island, it holds some of the most carefully reengineered classic cars in California.Kindred Motorworks takes the Ford Bronco, the Volkswagen Bus and the Porsche 911, three of the most beloved shapes in automotive history, and rebuilds them as modern machines. Most are fully electric, and every one keeps the silhouette that made it famous. The work happens inside a former naval shipyard of more than 100,000 square feet, where metalwork, bodywork, paint, upholstery, engineering and final assembly share a single roof. A Bronco starts at $225,000, with the Bus and the 911 priced higher.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=16CRct_1H1kEoSP00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=16CRct_1H1kEoSP00" width="1136" height="757" ><figcaption>Kindred Motorworks takes three of the most beloved shapes in automotive history, and rebuilds them as modern machines</figcaption></figure>A Garage EducationFounder and Chief Executive Officer Rob Howard came to the business as a hobbyist. He spent twenty years restoring cars in his own garage, and the experience taught him what a one-off restoration costs. Every project had its own improvised answers, and every finished car carried the memory of something he’d do differently next time. “I found myself wishing I had a do over many times,” he says, “so I knew I could improve the quality of restorations by standardizing the process, taking the time to test various parts and by documenting everything down to the torque on every bolt.” The result, he says, is an efficient process, but more importantly, “a much higher quality car.”That conviction became Blueprint, Kindred’s proprietary manufacturing system. Reportedly five years in development, it records thousands of components, engineering specifications, assembly procedures and quality controls. Because Howard’s team is as comfortable writing software as welding steel, they designed the system from scratch rather than adapting an off-the-shelf one. Blueprint, he says, “unlocks scalability but also results in much higher quality, as the work instructions include every lesson learned and best practice.” Each car benefits from everything the shop has already figured out.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0GgBf0_1H1kEoSP00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0GgBf0_1H1kEoSP00" width="1136" height="757" ><figcaption>A Bronco starts at 5,000, with the Bus and the 911 priced a bit higher</figcaption></figure>Curation, Not ConversionEach Kindred spends eighteen months in design, research and development, and Howard describes the philosophy as editing. “Kindred design is all about curation,” he says. “We want to retain original elements that are the essence of the car, like the silhouette, but modernize elements that are subpar.”Some upgrades are easy to spot: a better audio system, a rear-view camera, stronger brakes. Others are feats of engineering, like reworked suspension. The aim is a car that keeps its original character, with modernization added so quietly you’d never think to look for it. Howard clearly enjoys this part of the job. “Design,” he says, “is probably the coolest job in the company.”The 911 shows the method at work. Kindred focuses on the G-body cars of 1974 to 1988, now more than forty years old. Porsche “got a lot of things right in those cars,” Howard says, and the company has refined them steadily since. Still, the heating system is “a confounding mess,” and the rear seats came with only lap belts. Kindred fixes both, then adds phone charging, a great sound system and improved braking.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1Gtg3u_1H1kEoSP00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1Gtg3u_1H1kEoSP00" width="1136" height="757" ></figure><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1vlYyY_1H1kEoSP00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1vlYyY_1H1kEoSP00" width="1136" height="757" ><figcaption>The aim is a car that keeps its original character, with modernization added so quietly you’d never think to look for it</figcaption></figure>The Electric QuestionPurists will ask about the sound of an engine, and Howard answers by pointing to history. “There is a long history of replacing and updating powertrains in old cars,” he says. “We believe that the electric drivetrain is simply the newest powertrain in a long line of upgrade options.” That newest option brings “better power, lower maintenance, more reliability and superior sustainability.”For the 911, the choice was also practical. No gasoline option was readily available, and an electric drivetrain boosts power and reliability while opening the car to drivers who increasingly don’t drive a manual. Kindred calls its electric platform Grayback, after a Navy submarine built on Mare Island. In the Bronco, it produces an estimated 402 horsepower and 492 pound-feet of torque.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4CSbLb_1H1kEoSP00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4CSbLb_1H1kEoSP00" width="1136" height="757" ><figcaption>The building, on Vallejo’s Mare Island, holds some of the most carefully reengineered classic cars in California</figcaption></figure>Under One RoofKeeping every discipline in one building was a deliberate decision. “To control cost, quality, and timelines, we knew we had to bring every element of our operation under one roof,” Howard says. That includes the metal, paint, body and upholstery shops, where the craftsmanship is, in his words, extraordinary. Every vehicle absorbs thousands of hours of work. “It’s the only way to meet our high standards.”The island itself suits the mission. Mare Island has been “slowly brought back to life after the base closure of 1995,” Howard says, and Kindred restored its building before moving in. “We were so lucky to find a building and a location that so perfectly matches our mission.” The jobs and new energy the company brings to Vallejo, he adds, “are the cherries on top of our very unique home.”Who Drives OneHoward doesn’t see his customers as a single type of collector. “Kindred customers just want to enjoy the ride,” he says, and that covers ownership as much as driving. The company works to remove every reason people shy away from vintage cars. Modern features, low maintenance and reliability turn what he calls an irrational desire into something a person can simply own.Choosing the next model follows a clear logic. Every candidate needs nostalgia and a large pool of potential buyers. Kindred engineers many of its own parts, but it also looks for cars with a robust aftermarket and significant production volume. The list of models waiting for the Kindred treatment is long, and Howard expects to introduce a new one every year.The larger ambition is a simple one. “Millions of old cars are at the end of the driveway or in the garage not being used,” he says. “At Kindred, we believe they should be out on the road being enjoyed.” Getting them there, in his view, takes a new kind of automotive company, one that pairs engineering, craftsmanship and standardization. “We believe that company is Kindred Motorworks.”Photos courtesy of Kindred Motorworks</div></body>

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The building sat empty for thirty years. Now, on Vallejo’s Mare Island, it holds some of the most carefully reengineered classic cars in California. Kindred Motorworks takes the Ford Bronco, the Volkswagen Bus and the Porsche 911, three of the most beloved shapes in automotive history, and rebuilds them as modern machines. Most are fully electric, and every one keeps the silhouette that made it famous. The work happens inside a former naval shipyard of more than 100,000 square feet, where metalwork, bodywork, paint, upholstery, engineering and final assembly share a single roof. A Bronco starts at $225,000, with the Bus and the 911 priced higher.

Beloved Classics, Rebuilt: Inside Vallejo’s Kindred Motorworks

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The building sat empty for thirty years. Now, on Vallejo’s Mare Island, it holds some of the most carefully reengineered classic cars in California. Kindre

Beloved Classics, Rebuilt: Inside Vallejo’s Kindred Motorworks

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