Cavaglieri Restorations

Small independent shops are keystones of the automobile restoration industry, and among the more notable of these is Cavaglieri Restorations, recently relocated to a new 4,000-square-foot facility near Van Nuys airport in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley.

Proprietor Joey Cavaglieri’s early automotive experience came as a racing mechanic, beginning with Pete Brock’s BRE operation, then working with Bruce Burness fielding a Formula 5000 Lotus for George Follmer. He built engines with Ryan Falconer, did F5000 with John Morton, IMSA with Brad Frisselle, Can-Am and Indycars with Rick Galles for Al Unser Jr. and then Indycars with Frank Arciero’s team. By 1986 he was tired of “living out of a suitcase,” and told Arciero he was quitting, but Frank said, “Why don’t you take my old Lotus 19 and restore it for me?”