pasted from the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, for your reading pleasure. enjoy everybody
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IT BEGAN WITH A `Z' DESIRE TO SUCCEED DRIVES OWNER OF Z CAR RESTORATION BUSINESS.:[ALL Edition]
JAY WEAVER Business Writer. Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale: Dec 15, 1994. pg. 1.D
Joseph Cutrone never finished high school. But he did learn his way around a car engine as a New Jersey teen because he couldn't afford a mechanic.
That knowledge, in the middle of a recession, helped him start a Datsun/Nissan Z car restoration business in a Fort Lauderdale carport that will generate $400,000 in revenue this year.
"I started this business against every odd in the book," said Cutrone, 28, who has a passion for Japanese sports cars.
Z car enthusiasts from across the Southeast have gradually discovered him during the past four years. Cutrone runs his shop, Transformations Inc., out of a 13,000-square-foot garage in Pompano Beach. The company's six mechanics and body specialists restore an average of five Z cars per month.
The Z car series made its debut in 1969 as the Datsun 240Z sport coupe, retailing for $3,526.
Since then, of the 1,112,000 Z's sold in the United States, about 800,000 are still on the road, especially in warm-weather states such as Florida, California, Texas and Arizona.
"The Z car came into the United States when the Japanese car industry wasn't even known," said Ben Millspaugh of Denver, who has written two books about Z cars and is senior editor of the new Z Car Magazine. "When the Z car came out, it made the whole Japanese car industry credible in the United States."
During the past 25 years, the Z series has evolved into a 300-horse-power, computer-designed coupe - the Nissan 300ZX, which lists for about $45,000.
But at that price, the Z series has gone from being an affordable car for a middle-class buyer to an expensive one that is mostly leased, Millspaugh said. Partly for that reason, interest in Z car restoration has risen dramatically in the past decade.
For his business, Cutrone scouts out Z bodies, engines and parts from the 1970s, '80s and '90s for prospective customers, relying on specialty car magazines and contacts.
Last week, Chris Owen of Naples stopped by Cutrone's shop to check the final details on his restored Z - a 1974 260Z with a 1983 turbo engine. Cutrone's shop found the body and engine for him.
"He has turned it into a work of art," said Owen, 29, a consultant to Home Depot.
At the same time, some customers bring their old Z cars to Cutrone's shop to be restored. Among them are doctors, lawyers, pilots and the trainer of Flipper, the dolphin that starred in the 1960s TV show.
At Transformations, a typical Z restoration job costs between $7,000 and $8,000. But the price can rise to more than $10,000 if a customer wants expensive accessories. The work can take from two to four months.
Cutrone's shop has built a name for itself because it has little competition in South Florida, though there are several auto garages that service Z cars. Cutrone's shop ranks among the upper echelon of an estimated 200 Z car restoration specialists nationwide, Millspaugh said.
Cutrone entered the Z car restoration business haphazardly. In 1991, he had to sell his Mazda RX7 because he needed money after winning custody of his daughter following a divorce. He sold cars as a broker, but realized his first love was working on such Japanese sports cars as RX7s, Celicas and Z's.
With a $3,200 investment, he started Transformations. In 1992, he moved it into a small Pompano Beach garage. Last summer, he moved it again into a more spacious garage, with bays for body work, engine repairs and spare parts.
In November, Transformations struck a deal with Z race car driver Don Bunt of Chicago to supply his racing team with mechanical parts for the 1995 Sports Car Association of America circuit.
Cutrone, who drives a dark green 1982 280ZX with a 300-horse-power turbo engine, sees himself as a workaholic with a driving desire to succeed because his childhood was tough.
"When I got custody of my daughter, it was like God threw a brick down on my head," said Cutrone, who lives in Sunrise. "I'm driven to succeed by the force of what happened to me when I was a kid. I want her to have a better life."
DRIVING FORCE
-- COMPANY: Transformations Inc.
-- ADDRESS: 1531 SW Seventh Ave., Pompano Beach
-- PRESIDENT: Joseph Cutrone
-- 1994 REVENUE: $400,000
-- HISTORY: Cutrone, a mechanic with a passion for Japanese sports cars, started his Datsun/Nissan Z car restoration business in a small Fort Lauderdale garage four years ago. Today, he runs Transformations Inc. out of a spacious Pompano Beach garage that attracts Z car enthusiasts from across the Southeast.
[Illustration]
PHOTOS 3; Caption: Staff photos/JUDY SLOAN REICH (color) Joseph Cutrone, top, owner of Transformations Inc. in Pompano Beach, scouts out Z bodies, engines and parts from the 1970s, '80s and '90s for prospective customers. At left, Mike Molchan, one of six mechanics and body specialists, restores interior of a 1983 280Z. Cutrone's license plate, above, spells out his position clearly.
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission. People: Cutrone, Joseph, Millspaugh, Ben
Companies: COMPANY: Transformations Inc
Author(s): JAY WEAVER Business Writer
Section: BUSINESS
Publication title: Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale: Dec 15, 1994. pg. 1.D
Source Type: Newspaper
ProQuest document ID: 86558503
Text Word Count 833
horrible dirty incriminating news about Joey hehehe 
Linear Mode
