Under The Curtain

There are two things you should never do:  press the red button, or dig into the inner workings of a business. Sometimes ignorance is the only defense.

Some companies are a combination of operational happy accidents that result in success, and are one inevitable mistake away from failure. Knowing a business is either one won't instill confidence in the customer or partner companies.

An old hot-rodding show I used to watch followed a legend of the industry. After watching several episodes, I came to the conclusion that I couldn't trust that team to perform routine maintainence on my tricycle without a major mishap. Forget about a ground up restoration. 

Restaurant or cooking shows are another genre I avoid. Watching kitchen staff cross-contaminate prep surfaces, not wash hands on a regular basis, and not wear hair nets makes me cringe.  I would stop eating at almost every restaurant after monitoring the habits of the kitchen staff for a few minutes. 

There are a few car related shows that made me question how some used car dealerships are profitable. Buying used cars without performing any discernible pre-purchase inspection is madness, in my opinion. Turning around and selling questionable cars to an uninformed consumer is poor form. When one of these "experts" vouches for a car, look out!

I have experienced an exception to this.   I'm sure there are more, but I can't watch every show on every channel and still run AcMo's expanding operations. I stumbled onto the show, Legendary Motorcar, last year. The show follows father and son, Peter and Gary Klutt and their staff, as they buy, sell, restore, and modify various cars. I watched a few episodes and liked the show. Both Peter and Gary come across as genuine people who are passionate about their business, and they appear to have a strong team working with them. I forgot about the show because if it isn't right in front of my face, I can't remember it.  This is why I have to write notes to myself on my forehead. Since I found the show toward the end of the season, and didn't mark it on my forehead, I forgot about it. 

I just came across it again about a month ago. I am now watching every episode I can find. A previous season's episode featuring a Pagani Zonda R and a Bullitt Mustang recreation re-aired this past week. 

I anticipated enjoying the Zonda R segment, which I did, but that wasn't the only part of the show that cemented my respect for them. You need to see the segment to learn about the act of extreme kindness Peter did for a young boy who was quite sick. It still brings a tear to my eye. 

During chassis work on the Mustang, Peter spent time explaining their process to the audience.  He accomplishes at least two things by doing this:  he educates his audience, and he shows the thought and effort that go into each of their jobs. They seem to care about their name and their reputation. 

Welding chassis supports onto the Mustang's rear axle caused the axle to slightly distort. Peter explained the fix for this while one of his crew did the repair. A lot of shops wouldn't bother with this repair because the axle can probably still be assembled without straightening. This is the kind of detail work a customer may never see or be aware of, but the builders will know.  That attention to detail and care in doing things correctly the first time separates Legendary Motorcar's work from a lot of "quality" shops. 

This is a rare show that makes me more eager to do business with them rather than less after seeing how their operation runs. I am now considering sending my Green Machine tricycle to Legendary Motorcar for the aforementioned ground up restoration. This confidence regarding their craftsmanship is the highest form of praise I can bestow on them. I only wish I could get AcMo's standards half as high. Right now we are operating at a sub-chop shop quality level, and I need to raise that at least to a licensed and competent shop level this fiscal year. I'll shoot for the moon--better than Hyundai quality--next year.