Today we’d like to introduce you to Lee Martin.
Hi Lee, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
From the time i was about 5 years old i was allowed out in the garage with my dad to work on his race car or building another old car. My dad raced a AA Fuel altered 1923 model t from 1974-1982. I was raised up in Lampasas building 1920-1948 cars and trucks with my dad and brothers with an occasional 1950’s hotrod or 60’s to early 70’s muscle car in there from time to time. I went to Texas State Technical College after high school for a degree in mechanical electrical engineering with a minor in aeronautical design. In the summer of 1999 i submitted my story and my current car i was driving to Street Rodder magazine for under 21 article and was featured in the their January 2000 magazine featuring all the new and great things waiting for the next millennium of the industry. I worked for a year for corning cabling systems until the dot com crash. Then came back home to figure out what was next ahead of me. After afew months of looking for another engineering firm to hire on with, my parents set me down and asked me what i really wanted to do? I had decided i realy didnt like the idea of working in a cubicle for the rest of my life and i really wanted to work were i could see the daylight all the time. So my dad found me a shop building that i could start in and from there i started up Kikin Street Rods. We were a full custom shop and auto parts store. I had convinced my little brother to come in and run the parts store and manage the office and customers. We did really well from 2002 to 2009 were we grew froma 3000 square foot bulding to our eventual 60,000 square foot building on the north end of Lampasas. Here we were building complete cars from a stack of materials and a title into 6 figure show winning cars. We always kept the years we would build from 1911-1970. After the economy crashed in 2009 we had to seperate the business and grew into different companys. I changed my business name to Lee Martin ART, keeping it very small as a contract employee to individuals or other hot rod shops or museums. Still all along building the cars i grew up with and expanding into more exotic brands as Packard, Duesenberg, Stutz, and coach builders such as Fernandez Darrin. Currently i am the curator and restoration tech for The Lampasas Auto Company Museum, were i am based, as well building on my own collection, and building customers dream cars as a mobile contractor for all of central Texas.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh yes there have always been the struggle. But without the struggle and the fear that the next decision could completely break you, the joy just wouldnt be there in the success.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
That with every car i build it is an open canvas, the hardest part is that you have to know your customer. For the vehicle that is now only an example of my talent but it is an extention of the personality of the person i am building it for. The next thing is the history. With every car comes a story and some stories envolve significant events in our history. There are three examples of this at The Lampasas Auto Company, one is a graduation present from a very special person, another a tribute of a mother to her son, and the last a prototype that was showed, damaged, then abandoned to time. So because of their history the values are far greater than the standard vehicle of the same make and model.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Mentors are extremely important. Don’t just settle on one, if you have the opportunity gather a group of people from like minded business, religious, and family people, that you can ask ideas and see if any of them had taken the road you are taveling on before you. Sometime yiu would be surprised that age doesn’t matter, much
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Leemartin_art
- Facebook: LeeMartinArt
Image Credits
Personal photos from documenting work done by Lee Martin
