About us & our projects
MJF Collector Car Appraisals
About me...
My name is Mike and as long as I have had my eyes open, they have been drawn (addicted) to vehicles. From my very young years, my entire world revolved around cars, especially vintage cars. As I grew up, my family had a 1964 Chevrolet Impala SS and it was my dream to own it one day. In my younger days, I would make cars out of clay and dough, I would draw them on paper and cardboard and eventually made them 3-D. Then I moved to model kits and I have likely built well over 300 in my lifetime so far... yes, I still build them when time allows. As I got older, I transitioned from model kits to the real thing. I built my first engine when I was 18 and began restoring cars. It had taken years of projects both good and bad to have been able to achieve my latest build. My next journey into appraising vehicles allows me to expand on something else I enjoy... researching vehicles. I love trying to uncover the unknown and the story behind a vehicle. In the last few years it has been more difficult to get a local appraiser so I decided to take on the challenge and commit to the process of becoming an appraiser in Ontario. This allows me to provide a needed service in my community as well as be able to share my passion with others!
Mike Farrugia
1964 Pontiac Parisienne Safari
Our 1964 Pontiac Parisienne Safari project was never meant to evolve into the masterpiece it has become. With the original plan to make a 'nice summer driver' quality car, things evolved that led to the creation of this show stopper. As we dug into this car, began to run its numbers and look into its past, it became evident that there was only one way to proceed. This rare Canadian-only model was one of only 1,221 units ever produced. It came with a 327 cui - 250 HP automatic with factory tachometer, factory tinted glass and a pile of other super rare options. The car was delivered from the factory to a finishing plant and then a GM holding facility in the Prairies.
This project took us four solid years of 'never giving up' to resurrect this giant beauty to what it is today. It has since been honoured at several local shows since its recent completion. It was also invited to an all-station wagon show in the United States where it won "Best Restored" in show.
We never built this car as a show piece but we have to admit the recognition was a nice pat on the back for all the hard days when it seemed like there was no end in sight!
From start to finish
Finished in a custom lower colour with the original Ermine White body colour used to on the roof.
Custom Interior
We had a custom interior kit sewn to the original pattern and specs but chose these fantastic materials.
Miles of bright-work
We never thought the polishing of all the stainless steel inside this car would end. It was well worth it.
The car that got me hooked
Thanks Kevin from Classic Car Chit Chat for this great video of the car that started my love affair with classic cars. Sometimes life events get get in the way. Through determination we managed to locate our car and get it back. Check out Kevin's video and his channel for other amazing car stories.
Our Event Trailers
Stop and say hello if you see our trailers at an event!
A Pleasure to Help Others
1960 Oldsmobile 88...
The old car hobby is all about meeting people and making friends. I enjoy working on pretty much any old car and rarely pass up the opportunity when time allows. It was a pleasure to spend a little time and add some functional outside mirrors to this giant beauty. I also tastefully added some front lap belts to make it just a little safer for cruising on nice days.
1950 Chevrolet 3100...
Another opportunity came up to help a friend. That friend was me... While doing some home renovation we encountered some unexpected issues with our design. Our friend dropped everything and came to our rescue and solved the issues so we could move forward. When asked what we owe him, he asked for help with his old truck. Of course I jumped at the chance to play with another old vehicle. We pulled off his carburetor and I brought it home for a rebuild and put it back in for him. Now his truck runs nice and smooth and it starts without issue now too.
