Thomas Vintage Motors

When my family moved to Colorado from the East Coast, I knew that I had to get my dad's 1956 Thunderbird tuned up. I wanted someone to go through the car from bumper to bumper, inspecting all electrical components, checking for any mechanical issues or wear, checking all fluids and finally tuning the engine for optimal performance at altitude. At first, I was worried that I wouldn't find a local shop given such a broad and ill defined scope of work. Luckily, I found Thomas Vintage Motors. During my first conversation with Nathan at TVM, I quickly learned that performing a full tune up on the TBird was not going to be a problem - his past experience is rather impressive. After about 20 minutes on the phone, Nathan suggested bringing the car over to the shop and I happily obliged. When I a

In October of 2015 my wife and I purchased her Uncle Jim's 1974 Jaguar E-type. He had just turned 90 and felt like it was time to pass it on. Uncle Jim was the second owner and we consider it a family heirloom. The car was complete and 'running' but it had been idle for a number of years and needed a thorough mechanical 'revival.' I discovered that TVM was here in Boulder and drove the car over for their review and advice on how to proceed. Tom made a detailed inspection of the car with me which gave me confidence that the car was a good candidate for restoration, although Tom said I probably shouldn't have driven it in. That began a restoration odyssey which is still ongoing. Two quick points of information; this was my first adventure restoring a British sports car and I learned that

Tom, Nathan, and Jordan are simply the best automotive engineers I know. Tom has worked on my Sprite several times and shares his decades of knowledge with me as I try to understand the inner workings of my cars. Tom is a walking dictionary, a truly fine human being, and a long time leader in the local vintage car and race scene. He is simply the best. Nathan is passionate about Formula Ford race cars and has worked on my Nike and my Winkleman after I sold it last year. Nathan is a true engineer, an ammusing Brit, and a careful artisan of his craft. He has confidently solved many of my tricky problems with creativity and a wealth of knowledge well beyond his years. When I think of Nathan, "skill" comes to mind. Jordan brings a youthful exuberance to the to the shop and the same com

Tom didn’t have any openings to repair my Rochester Quadrajet 4BBL carb that I had foolishly let deteriorate over a few years. However, he was quick to offer sound advice to me to get it up and running. I don’t know how to rebuild a carb and asked several really dumb questions, but Tom was patient and genuinely wanted to help me. And he did. I was able to move my 1967 Camaro around and will soon trailer it … too bad, because I just found a great mechanic/shop. I can’t recommend this shop enough. It’s not just the best auto service I’ve had, it ranks up there with the best service period.

I have had two different Formula Ford race cars that I have owned, or currently own, worked on at Thomas Vintage Motors. The Owner, Tom Ellis, is a great business man and a good friend. He runs a very successful auto restoration and race car repair shop located in Boulder, Colorado. Nathan Down, the chief mechanic and mechanical engineer, did some extensive work on my 1969 Winkelmann WDF-1 Formula Ford, including chassis setup, repairs to the right rear corner, annual inspections and welding on the frame. Nathan is meticulous and detailed in his chassis setups and all work he performed on the Wink was top notch. Nathan has also done work on my 1981 Van Diemen RF81 Club Ford which I currently own. He performed the chassis setup and annual inspections on the RF81. I can always trust Nathan'