After being around vintage cars for so many years, both as professionals and hobbyists, one thing becomes clear time and again: There's a right and a wrong way to restore cars. The right way is the one that will look better and, more importantly, last longer. We've evolved and adapted over the years to refine the minimum standard of what is considered "the right way." Whether you are looking for a simple daily driver or if you're after an "all the bells and whistles" show car, we will accommodate your budget while performing work that meets or far exceeds this standard. Our goal is to perform quality work that will last decades, not years, all while giving our clients the best price possible. Doing the job right may be slightly more costly initially, but you'll be money ahead in the long run. Besides, you surely don't want any part of your car done "wrong," do you?
The RBR Difference
Ever since we first opened in 2006, we have been a small shop. That's the way we like it, and that's how we want it to stay. Our first goal is to treat others the way we would want to be treated, and that includes everything from keeping costs reasonable to ensuring that your vehicle is safe and reliable. We offer a personal touch that you don't get at other shops, and we strive to work with you to ensure your car turns out just the way you want it or better. We know you have a choice in restoration shop, and we want you to feel happy you picked us.
As stated below, original Herbie the Love Bug film cars have become a niche specialty of ours, and this has had great benefits in the shop as a whole. Restoring an original movie car requires an immensely keen attention to detail and passion for originality and authenticity. These cars are beloved all over the world, so restoring one also demands a next-level pride in one's work, so as to ensure the worldwide community finds the finished product not just acceptable but exemplary. These are qualities we carry over with us into all of our work. Whether it's a daily driver Volkswagen or a Ferrari with Mille Miglia history, we treat it as if it has celebrity status.
Dan Miller: Mini-Biography
I grew up near Youngstown, Ohio, where I quickly became fascinated with vintage Volkswagen Beetles. My parents bought me my first for $1 when I was only 4 years old, a rotted out '73 that sat in the backyard as a treehouse of sorts. Since then, there have been many that have come and gone. I began my first restoration at the age of 13 on a '63 Bug, and have come to know the little cars like the back of my hand ever since.
It became a dream of mine to restore cars for a living, which led me to study collision repair at Wyotech (Wyoming Technical Institute) where I learned skills that I consider invaluable. Upon returning home, I tackled the restoration of a very special car, a 1962 Volkswagen Beetle that was screen-used in Disney's Herbie the Love Bug films. I owe this car, Herbie #12, for providing me with the reputation required to get my foot in the restoration business door. My first professional job was another original Disney Herbie, and I have been unable to shake the trend since. I have restored or repaired over a dozen original movie cars, including one that was the most expensive Volkswagen to ever sell at auction for a time.
Why "Red Barn Restorations?" The first shop I worked in was a small, red barn in which I spent many hundreds of hours wrenching, sanding, grinding, and painting classic cars. I have since outgrown that shop, but the name stuck. I now have a much larger facility here on my premises in Hubbard, OH, which by happenstance has a bright red roof! My dream of restoring classic cars stays alive here at the "Red Barn" with the support of my family and clients like you.
