Builder's Profile - Concept Musclecar
COMPANY: Concept Musclecar
OWNER: Jason Olsen
ADDRESS: 17910 Roan Place Surrey, BC, V3S 5K1
TEL: 604-576-2207
WEBSITE: www.conceptmusclecars.com
WHAT THEY DO: Restoration of American muscle cars as well as muscle car sales out of the showroom.
Background: Like so many car guys before, the gear head gene was passed down from his father. Time spent in his youth wrenching on cars with his dad created the passion that pointed Jason in the direction of owning his own restoration shop. Today Concept Muscle Car is a 13,000 square-foot operation that features a fully equipped restoration facility and a unique showroom floor. Full of several shining examples of automotive history, this showroom will whisk any classic car lover back in time. While in the back, several specialists are hard at work bringing an old beauty back to life. When it comes to having the facilities and skill, Concept has the experience for just a couple touch ups, or a full rotisserie numbers matching restoration.
PP: So how did Concept Muscle Car come to be?
JO: It literally started in a barn. My brother and I started working out of a barn working on family and friends cars. Then that expanded to friends of friend’s cars. It kept progressing to the point where we needed a dedicated facility and extra staff to get all the work done.
PP: What would you say Concept specializes in?
JO: We’ll just about do anything the customer is looking for, but we tend to concentrate on the restoration of a car. We like to keep the original look, but just make it new again. I think they built some pretty cool cars back in the day, and we try to keep to those guidelines. We might do a few performance upgrades and stuff, but I’m a fan of the originals and like to concentrate on restoration to the original look.
PP: Have you been keeping busy since the last time we spoke. What’s new?
JO: Well business is still up. We usually have around seven complete project cars come through here in a year. We’ve had about five Ford go through, just finishing up a XL500 Galaxy, and starting a 66 Shelby GT350. We have the website which keeps the public updated with how each of the projects are progressing. I try to get on there as much as possible, and its great as you have a lot of customers coming in just to see how a cars progress is unfolding.
PP: With a shop and showroom full of restored cars for customers, do you get much time to play on your own projects?
JO: To be honest I’m always building something for myself. Right now I’m building a 1970 Super Bee that is about a two year project, but I’m doing it all by my self. With all the work I have here running the business, it will take some time. But when ever I get the chance to work on it that’s a good thing and I try to do as much as I can.
PP: You obviously have a real passion for working on cars. Do you still get back in the shop and get your hands dirty?
JO: To be honest now, I don’t. I have two very capable mechanics and a body man so I leave it all up to them. Someone has to do the dirty work of running this beast, so that’s where I need to be. If I can get back there time to time, that’s more fun for me, but the day to day operations got to be done, along with the sales aspect of the business. I do all the buying and selling of vehicles for our showroom, which also keeps me busy.
PP: If money were no object, what would be your dream build?
JO: Well, if I could build anything I wanted, it would have to be a 1970 440 4-Speed Challenger. As I said I’m a Mopar guy. I wouldn’t be doing too much to it other than making it look the way that it did. That’s pretty much my favourite car, so if I could work on anything, that would be the one.
PP: You’re really a big fan of the Challenger aren’t you. What do you think about the new model?
JO: I love that thing, they finally did it right. When they came out with the Charger, it was a four-door and didn’t look anything like a Charger. But the Challenger looks killer, and a couple of my customers have brought them in for me to try out, and it’s working for me. But I still like my old school cars. There has to be something said for being able to get in there and wrench on it, rather than plugging it into a computer.
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