Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Utter.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Scott. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Ever since I was a kid I have had a love affair with European sports car. What started with little Hot Wheels cars being raced around my parent’s kitchen counters turned into a little side business out of my parent’s garage when I was 15. My Dad and I bought a project car back when I was just coming out of grade school, restored it, sold it, made some money on it and from there I was hooked. I started flipping cars all through high school until graduation when I went to work for Jaguar/Land Rover in the sales department. I learned the business end from Penske, and then after 4 years went to work for Russo and Steele Classic Car Auction Company working with classic cars and learned the restoration end. I finally opened doors to my owner dealership/restoration shop in the summer of 2013 and have been working at it ever since.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It certainly has not been a smooth road. The time came to start making the move to open my own business, the overall process of getting my dealer license and ducks in a row was fairly straightforward. When I opened doors in summer of 2013 I was only 25 years old. I felt like I was sitting on top of the world. The next 2 years became a steady growth of inventory and vendors which then lead to a larger shop which is when the restoration side of things came along. At that time I felt stressed and worried I could not hand it all. I had a great group of guys working with me that helped get me through some of those early restoration projects. It really was an eye opener for me at that age to step it up, this aspect of the car world was all new to me and I had to learn quick how to manage it all. Year number 3 came around and I had grown from the first year of 5-8 cars at a time to about 30 cars with maybe 40% of them being restoration cars. It was very difficult to have so many cars not available for sale and restoring so many at one given time. It started to take the focus away from the quick flips which were always the bread and butter cars and business dipped a bit because of it. By year number 5 I finally figured out the right balance that financially made sense and I was able to cut back on the amount of cars that were being restored at one time. That would give me more room to buy cars that did not need restoration and were cars that could be put for sale faster.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
European Motor Studio specializes in the sales and restoration of classic European sports and exotic cars. When I opened doors in the summer of 2013, I wanted to focus on selling European sports and luxury cars. I remember I opened with a 1994 Jaguar XJS, 1993 Bentley Continental R, 1981 Mercedes-Benz 380SL, 1983 Maserati Quattroporte and a 1999 Mercedes-Benz S420. From there I was focused on buying cars that I could clean up, repair if needed and turn around and sell. I spent the next few years growing the inventory and the quality of cars. Within a couple of years I was at about 30 cars at one given time and ranging from classic Maserati’s and Lamborghini’s of the 1960’s and 1970’s to later 1990’s Porsche’s and everything in between. The last few restorations we have done have been early Lamborghini V12 cars such as Espada’s, Jarama’s and an Islero. I would say I have become known for Lamborghini’s mostly. I have been obsessed with the early days of Lamborghini and I had gotten on a big kick acquiring them to restore. I am so proud of how well my team has progressed over the years. We have been able to take a car that aesthetically looks like a wreck and turn it into a piece of art. In some cases the car restoration is better quality than it was when new from the factory. I am also proud of myself for being able to achieve what I have. Not many people get to make a business out of things they are passionate about, I was fortunate and blessed to have been able to. I think the attention to detail and passion I have for cars is what sets me and my business apart. I also think my age sets me apart. I feel I portray that passion and enthusiasm in my work and when you have someone who is as involved as I am with their business, it makes for a great success.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up I was always close with my family and still am today. I was pretty easy going and laid back but driven and passionate with the hobbies that I had. I went to a private Catholic school grade school and high school with some college behind me. I would say I was a pretty eccentric kid growing up and I probably still am to this day. I enjoyed tennis and played in high school, I was and still am an old Hollywood and pop culture buff. I started getting into classic film when I was in grade school and would read biographies of old celebrities that would strike my interest. I think the fascination came from seeing old pics of classic cars and their high profile owners such as Peter Sellers, Steve McQueen, Sophia Loren and of course James Bond. Ever since I was a kid I was obsessed with the 007 franchise and practically could recite all of the dialogue. That would lead to my interest in film soundtracks. I collected soundtracks from classic films mainly from the 60’s and the 70’s such as The Blue Max, Chinatown and of course all of the Bond films. I think my personality fits my hobbies. I am a 70 year old man living in a 30 year olds body. I always like to joke that I should have been born in the 1940’s so I could have been able to experience the 1960’s and 1970’s.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.EuropeanMotorStudio.com
- Phone: 480-310-8814
- Email: Scott@europeanmotorstudio.com
- Instagram: @Europeanmotorstudio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/European-Motor-Studio-LLC-1402484239967516/
Image Credit:
Scott Utter
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