15020 Oxnard Street • Unit E  
Van Nuys, CA 91411  
  (818) 786-2181  

About us

Automotive Innovations and Restoration founder Kevin Mentzer began his career in this business back in 1975 at a Hollywood shop called Automotive Innovations where they specialized in preparing movie cars. From there, Kevin joined Barris Kustom, George Barris' famous outfit that built movie cars and show cars, as well as customizing cars for movie stars.

In 1982, Kevin went to work at Dan Haggerty's North American Racing, a restoration shop specializing in vintage race cars. A year later, Kevin settled in with American International Racing (AIR) in Burbank. Back in the day, AIR was Southern California's leading Porsche restoration and body shop. Being immersed in this environment provided Kevin with the opportunity to earn his solid Porsche background. The skillset he developed at AIR included: restoration, bodywork, paint, metal work, design, prototyping, and fiberglass work.

Following an 11 year career at AIR, Kevin left in 1992 to form his own company, Automotive Innovations and Restoration. This new company would harness all of Kevin's experience and focus on Porsche body repair, paint, and restoration. Kevin and his team moved into the current Van Nuys location in 2003 and the company has become an important component of the Southern California Porsche community, with 200 Porsches moving through the shop last year.

©2010 Automotive Innovations and Restoration, All rights reserved. This site and the information contained herein is not affiliated with or sponsored by Porsche® AG or Porsche® Cars North America. Content ©2010 Automotive Innovations and Restoration except where otherwise noted. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.