Sports Car Specialties owner and founder Jon Thompson, grew up in a small Massachusetts town 
where his family has been in the automobile salvage business since 1952. “I literally grew up with 
15 acres of cars around me”… “I rebuilt and repainted my first car at the age of 14, a 1966 Chevrolet 
convertible for my Mom”... “I have been in and around body shops all of my adult working life”. 

   Jon worked in a number of commercial body shops in the early part of his career – a time he views 
as having not only helped him develop many skills and abilities, but also a desire to take this work 
to new level of specialization. “Early on [in my career], I worked for a body shop in Marlboro, 
Massachusetts, where I had the opportunity to work along side a great old school body man 
who taught me the importance of taking Pride in your work and of having Patience”. 

   In 1985, after many years of apprenticing and working for others, Jon opened a small restoration 
shop, which would become Sports Car Specialties, in space he rented in Clinton , Massachusetts . 
A year later, Jon and his wife Jean purchased their first home and shop in nearby Winchendon ,
Massachusetts , where they renovated an old farm house and 3000 square foot woodworking shop 
to better suit the needs of his growing business. Jon and his family remained in Winchendon for 
fourteen years while they enjoyed the convenience of having the shop co-located with their home 
while raising two daughters.

   “The majority of my work was restorative and focused on vintage and exotic European makes”. 
In 1989, Jon met Master Metal Shaper Fay Butler and Aircraft Fabricator Bill Peach. “These two 
men were instrumental in helping me develop a fundamental understanding of the Shaping, Forming 
and the Flow of metal”. During this time Jon also attended training in Southern California delivered by 
Scott Knight, another Master Shaper. “At the Scott Knight sessions I was introduced to the 
“Shrinking Disc”, a concept for straightening and fabricating body panels that was new to me at 
the time. It’s a method I’ve used on nearly every fabrication and straightening project ever since”.

   In July 2001, Jon and Jean fulfilled a dream and moved their home and business, Sports Car 
Specialties, to rural Grafton , New Hampshire . “I wasn’t sure if my clients would follow, but they 
did”… “We started out in Grafton with a newly constructed 2000 square foot building to house 
the entire operation. We are currently in the process of adding a second 2600 square foot shop 
building, to house the paint shop.”

   Since its inception in 1985, Sports Car Specialties has become one of the most well equipped 
shops in the restoration business. The metal/fabrication/body shop houses a GlobalJig fixture 
bench, P9 Pullmax, 32” Imperial English Wheel, Jump Shear, Break, Floor and hand held planishers,
 and numerous other specialty hand tools and equipment. “I am continuously pushing forward, raising 
the bar with equipment and training”. The new paint shop currently under construction will be fully 
equipped.

   “Every job that comes through the door is personally overseen by me. I am hands on, doing the 
metal shaping and structure myself”… “Every job that leaves my shop has my name on it”.