Robert Downey Jr.-backed classic car company moving into old California Navy shipyard
Kindred Motorworks restores vintage vehicles with modern drivetrains
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Kindred Motorworks is on the move.
The classic car restoration company is opening a new headquarters on Vallejo, California's Mare Island.
The location is at a former U.S. Navy shipyard that's being redeveloped for industrial and residential use.
Kindred Motorworks does high-end conversions of several vintage models, including the postwar Chevrolet 3100 pickup, original Ford Bronco and 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, with both internal combustion and electric drivetrains.
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Kindred Motorworks is consolidating its operations in a Mare Island facility. (Kindred Motorworks)
The company is backed in part by actor Robert Downey Jr.'s Footprint Coalition Ventures investment outfit, which participated in a $20 million funding round last year.
The upcoming Discovery+ show "Downey's Dream Cars" documents six electric car conversions the Marvel star commissioned.
Kindred Motorworks converts the Chevy 3100 to run on electric power. (Kindred Motorworks / Fox News)
"Discovering Kindred was the serendipity of life imitating art," Footprint Coalition Ventures managing partner Jonathan Schulhof told Fox News Digital of the stake.
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Kindred Motorworks is hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday at the 105,000 square-foot factory, which will encompass its business and manufacturing operations. It will fully relocate to the site in March to prepare for the start of production next year.
"It’s hard to overstate the importance of this event for every one of us at Kindred Motorworks," founder and CEO Rob Howard said.
Mare Island is a former U.S. Navy shipyard that's been redeveloped for industrial and residential use. (Kindred Motorworks)
"It’s both appropriate and a point of great pride for us to build our modernized vintage vehicles in this equally revitalized historic facility."
The Kindred Motorworks Chevrolet Camaro is available with several V8 options. (Kindred Motorworks)
Rather than do unique builds, Kindred Motorworks sources its own original car bodies and has developed a step-by-step repeatable process for the conversions so they can be completed in less time and any improvements or issues that arise can be addressed across all the vehicles.
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Starting prices for Kindred Motorworks' products range from $159,000 to $199,000, and it expects to have the first 150 build slots filled by the end of February.
The company is planning to build around 50 cars in 2024 as it ramps up toward an annual capacity of 1,000 by 2026 with 300 employees.