The Flareborn Beginning
Look, I'm gonna be straight with you - this whole thing started in my dad's garage back in '08. I was just a kid who couldn't afford the mods I wanted on my beat-up Supra, so I learned to do 'em myself. Scraped knuckles, blown gaskets, and more YouTube videos than I care to admit.
Fast forward to 2011, and somehow I'd convinced a few folks that I actually knew what I was doing. Opened up shop on Marine Drive with two lifts and a dream. First customer? My uncle's '72 Chevelle that'd been sitting in his barn for fifteen years. Took me three months to get her purring again, but man... hearing that engine roar back to life? That's when I knew this wasn't just work anymore.
These days we've got a solid crew - guys and gals who genuinely geek out over compression ratios and exhaust flow dynamics. We've restored everything from barn-find Ferraris to race-prepped GTRs. Each one's got a story, and honestly, that's what keeps us coming back every morning.
We're not the cheapest shop in town, won't pretend to be. But if you want someone who'll treat your ride like it's their own, who'll actually explain what's going on under the hood without the technical jargon BS, and who gets genuinely excited about making your car perform the way it was meant to... well, you've found your people.
Marcus Chen
Founder & Head Technician
ASE Master Certified, Because the paperwork matters too
Our Journey
2011 - The Humble Start
October
Opened with just two lifts and a whole lot of ambition. First month we did oil changes and brake jobs. Had to start somewhere, right?
2013 - First Big Win
July
A customer's car we tuned took first place at the Vancouver Import Showdown. Word started spreading that we knew our stuff with performance builds.
2015 - Expansion Time
March
Added three more bays and brought on Sarah and Mike. Finally had room to take on those full restoration projects we'd been turning away.
2017 - Dyno Dreams
November
Invested in our Dynojet setup. Game changer for tuning accuracy. No more guessing - we could actually see the numbers in real-time.
2019 - Going Exotic
June
Got certified for Ferrari and Lamborghini service work. That '65 Ferrari 275 GTB restoration still gives me goosebumps when I think about it.
2021 - Recognition
April
Named "Best Performance Shop" by BC Auto Enthusiast magazine. Also the year we hit 1,000 completed projects. Had a pretty good party that night.
2023 - Electric Future
September
Started diving into EV performance mods and hybrid systems. Times are changing, and we're changing with them. Still love the sound of a V8 though.
2025 - Today
Present
Fourteen years in, and we're still fired up about every project that rolls through our doors. Here's to the next chapter.
