Copper Canyon ClassicsSanta Fe, New Mexico Start a project

Classic car restoration · Santa Fe, New Mexico

From bare metal
to the concours lawn.

Copper Canyon Classics is a restoration shop in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We take classic cars apart to the last fastener and bring them back — for the road, or for the lawn.

Start an inquiry See the work
A restored classic coupe in profile on a gravel apron at golden hour with a mesa on the horizon

Finished work · Santa Fe, New Mexico

What we do

Six disciplines, one shop.

A car can come to us for a single job or stay for the whole restoration — from the first inspection to the file that leaves with it.

  1. 01

    Concours restoration

    A car dismantled to its last fastener and returned to the standard it left the works with: plating, finishes, panel fit, and the details a judge looks for on the lawn.

  2. 02

    Mechanical rebuild

    Engine, driveline, brakes, and suspension rebuilt to specification, then sorted on the road until the car behaves the way it should.

  3. 03

    Upholstery

    Seats, headlining, carpets, and trim retrimmed in correct hides, correct grain, and correct stitch, with the frames and foam renewed beneath.

  4. 04

    Paint and body

    Panel fit and metalwork first, then color matched to an original sample and laid down panel by panel until the reflections run straight.

  5. 05

    Sourcing

    A car found, inspected, and purchased on your behalf — the right car, understood before the money is spent.

  6. 06

    Documentation

    Records, photographs, and history assembled into a file that travels with the car and answers what a judge or a buyer will ask.

Selected work

Cars out of the shop.

A few of the cars that have come through Santa Fe, photographed in daylight with nothing hidden.

A dark green restored roadster parked on short desert grass in late afternoon light
Paint and body Panels fitted, color matched, and painted one at a time.
Interior detail of a retrimmed classic car with stitched leather seats and a polished wood dashboard
Upholstery Hides, grain, and stitch, frames renewed beneath.
A restored classic convertible on a gravel drive beside an adobe wall in warm afternoon light
Concours restoration The whole car, taken to the standard it left the works with.

How we work

The work, in order.

The sequence rarely changes. What changes is where a car stops — at concours, or at a fine driver. That is agreed at the beginning, not discovered at the end.

  1. 01

    Survey and standard

    The car is photographed, measured, and catalogued before anything is touched, and the standard is agreed: concours, or a fine driver.

  2. 02

    Teardown and assessment

    Every assembly is removed, labeled, and inspected. The findings become the plan of work and the order in which it is carried out.

  3. 03

    Metal, body, and paint

    Panel fit and metalwork first, then color matched to an original sample and sprayed panel by panel until gaps and reflections agree.

  4. 04

    Mechanical rebuild

    Engine, driveline, brakes, and suspension built to specification, installed, then sorted on the road until the car is calm at speed.

  5. 05

    Trim, documentation, delivery

    Upholstery and detailing to finish, then records and photographs assembled into the car's file and handed over with the keys.

A bare metal body shell being guided over a chassis jig in a restoration workshop
Underway in the shop · Santa Fe, New Mexico

Start a project

Tell us about the car.

What it is, where it is, and what it needs. Photographs help. We will come back to you with the next step.

The shop

Copper Canyon Classics

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Concours restoration · Mechanical rebuild · Upholstery · Paint and body · Sourcing · Documentation