Automobile Metal Shaping was a great place to visit, and before long, it will find itself in the spotlight on FFJournal TV. Although Mike Kleeves, the company's owner, is more than just a garage shop fabricator, his shop is designed around the needs of the classic-car collector who wants perfectly matched production sheet metal body parts that no longer exist.

There are plenty of people who do this type of work with an English wheel and air hammers, but there are few who take it to Kleeves' level. His shop has two surface plates with integrated coordinate measuring machines to get precise parts for placement on a vehicle. Few others have this type of equipment.

Along with working on exotic cars, Kleeves has done prototype body work for General Motors Co., Detroit, and other car manufacturers. When someone wants a one-off, body-in-white vehicle, Kleeves is the person to turn to. He can produce just about every piece of sheet metal for a Porsche or Ferrari.

Although it sounds expensive to do this type of restoration work, and at times it is, many of these cars are rolling pieces of art, often worth millions.

For some, a restored Duesenberg or an exotic sports car can be considered just as valuable as a rare painting or sculpture. To me, the Duesenberg represents a beautiful automobile with unique engineering built during a grand time of auto production. It's something that can be touched, handled and driven. It's also something that can dramatically appreciate in value.

At the Meadow Brook Concours d'Elegance, some of the most unique cars in the world are on display. And every year, I volunteer at the event on the grounds of Meadow Brook Hall, Rochester, Mich., which was once home to John Dodge, of the automobile fame.

During the last show, I saw a car built by the Italian company Ghia for Ford in the early 1950s as a possible production sports car. The owner said that although Ford's engineers made several rounds of changes to the car, Ghia decided not to implement some of them. The engineers got miffed and decided to let Ghia keep the car. Its happy fate was that it would be the only one like it in the world. The owner said it was hand-built--the same way Kleeves restores cars today.

Craftsmanship is imperative for any of these cars, and I'm glad people like Kleeves have the talent and ambition to keep them on the road. The lingering question is whether any of today's cars will reach the status of a collectible or classic. Perhaps the more exotic ones will, like the Aston Martins or the Ford GTs. But what about the rest of today's vehicles? They may just be hung out to dry once they're no longer running. FFJ