A humming sound of a saw fills the shop, making it hard to hear. Joe Potter sits at his office desk with his shop dog Otis at his feet. Potter is a student of the classic car era and now owns a car restoration shop here in Eugene. Potter’s shop, Vintage Underground, is full of classic British, Italian, and other European cars that he and his staff have worked on to fit their client’s, and original manufacturer specifications.

           Potter and his team create machines that resemble the exact specifications that the car manufacturers produced some tens of years ago. Potter said “Restoration work is about documentation, and research. You are trying to recreate exactly what was there, how it looked, how it felt, and how it looked.” Restoration is one of the key facets of the shop, but they also dive into other ways of turning classic cars into powerful machines that resemble current technology. Potter said, “It looks like a vintage car, but there is an upgraded drive train.” Potter calls this style build and continues to embark on these types of projects for his clients.

            Potter grew up in Oregon around the Coos Bay area, where he gained a love for classic cars from his dad. Potter said, “My dad and I restored a Model A Ford when I was fourteen, and it just kind of gave me an opportunity at that point.” Potter’s love for classic cars, hardworking attitude, and business sense led him to start his restoration shop. Potter’s staff member Alex Joersz said, “He has to be one of the most dedicated bosses or owners that I ever worked for.”

            Potter and his team will continue to rebuild classic cars from the ground up for years to come. Potter is at the tail end of running his shop and he plans to phase out of his role in the years to come. Potter said “My goal is to put myself out of a job inside of the next four years. What happens after that, for me personally, we will see. I’ll probably just keep doing it.”