Profiles: In Full Regalia
08/01/2007
Restoring important cars is nothing new for Mike Regalia. He began his career in 1978 as a painter for J.B. Nethercutt, and in 2001—hundreds of projects later—became president of the Nethercutt Collection (The Robb Report Collection, August 2006). "It was at [Nethercutt’s] shop that I began to understand and appreciate the importance of authenticity," says Regalia. "If a car can be made perfect, I make it perfect."; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Photograph by Cordero Studios/www.corderostudios.com (Click image to enlarge)During his tenure, Regalia worked on concours superstars like the Twenty-Grand, a 1933 Duesenberg SJ Rollston Arlington Torpedo sedan that took Best in Show honors at Pebble Beach in 1980. The car, which resides at the Nethercutt Collection and Museum in Sylmar, Calif., still wears the metallic pewter-silver paint Regalia applied.
In 2005, he opened his own shop—Regalia Concours Restorations. "I can always envision the completed car before I start on any restoration," Regalia says. "Color, upholstery, body lines—the car is already done in my mind." A recent visit to his garage revealed three cars on their way to the polished perfection he has imagined: a 1939 Talbot Lago T150css, a 1969 Ferrari 365 GTC and a 1972 Ferrari Daytona coupe. The average restoration takes from 12 to 18 months and ranges from 2,000 to 4,000-hours to complete; Regalia plans to have the 365 GTC and the Daytona coupe ready for the 2008 Palm Beach Cavallino Classic in January.
From his perspective, all restoration projects are not created equal. "Finding the right car requires patience and often times, guidance," Regalia says. "You never want to start a restoration on the wrong car." The extremely rare 1939 Talbot Lago, for instance, qualifies on a number of fronts: One of three Marcel Pourtout teardrop bodies known to exist—and the last unrestored example—it also happens to be the only custom coach built T150css Lagos chassis with a competition history. "I don’t want to be known for a lot of cars," explains Regalia. "Only perfect cars."
Regalia Concours Restorations
www.regaliaconcoursrestorations.com