The reasons owners choose to open a shop are as varied as the individuals themselves. Some grow up in the industry. Some want to work for themselves or employ others. And some — like Kye Yeung — just love cars. 

“I was the kid drawing cars on anything I could get my hands on,” says the founder of European Motor Car Works in Costa Mesa, California. “It’s truly been a lifelong passion for me.” 

Sixty-some years later, he finds himself looking back on a highly successful career that’s spanned the continuum of body work — from restoring cars for the Pebble Beach Concours to high-end, luxury collision jobs — Yeung’s done it all. And he couldn’t be prouder that his daughters and son-in-law are now carrying the business forward as he transitions into retirement. 

“What’s so cool about all of this is that I created this story that's unfinished, and they get to write the next chapter.” 

A Natural Talent  

It’s true; Yeung loves cars. But most of all, he loves British cars.  

Yeung was born a British citizen in Hong Kong in 1955, when it was a British colony. He became a U.S. citizen before coming to California in 1960 with his family. His commitment to the cars he shares a heritage with has never wavered — even in a time when they were underperforming.  

“When I first started the business in the mid ‘70s, you could flip through the Yellow Pages and everybody was doing German, Japanese, Italian, American cars…but no one did British cars. Mainly, I must say, because they were junky back then. They leaked oil, they never ran…but that was my heritage, and that's what I stuck with.” 

Reminiscing about those early days, Yeung remembers the struggle well. 

As the oldest in an Asian-American immigrant family, he explained, there was an innate expectation that he’d do something “substantial in education” — perhaps become an attorney or a doctor. 

“And here I am, I just want to do cars, right?” he chuckled. 

Yeung obliged his parents’ wishes and began pursuing an architecture degree in college, but then came a class that would change the course of his life drastically. 

“I loved hot rods, and I wanted to flare the back fenders of my car...so I enrolled in a community college auto body course.” 

The instructor immediately saw Yeung’s potential and encouraged him to seriously consider something he’d never considered before: turning his passion for cars into a career. 

At 18, he started buying and selling British cars and got a part-time job in a body shop while attending school in the evenings. 

When it all became too much, Yeung was forced to quit the shop. But customers kept seeking him out to finish their cars.  

In that moment, he had a difficult choice to make: defy his parents’ wishes to pursue his passion…or quit. Ultimately, it was Yeung’s soon-to-be father-in-law — who he calls his mentor and motivation to persevere — who encouraged him to chase his dream. 

And so in 1975 — with $2,500 in his pocket from the sale of his 1959 190SL Mercedes — Yeung rented an industrial space and bought the essential equipment he’d need to start what would blossom into a generational business with a team of more than 20 employees.  

He remembers his first big job well — a Rolls Royce restoration for a local British restaurateur, who’d found the car as a survivor in the desert. Around that same time, a couple writers took an interest in what Yeung was doing and the rest, as they say, is history. 

“Suddenly here I am, 20 years old, fixing cars, and people are asking me to help them enter their vehicles in shows.” 

“The British Guy”  

As Yeung’s reputation grew, he became known as “the British guy” — a moniker that opened some very important doors for him, namely with Jaguar and Aston Martin…two of European Motor Car Works’ hallmark OEMs. 

“In the mid ‘80s, we caught the eye of Bauer Jaguar and partnered with them to do all their collision repairs. In time, other dealerships started referring their work to us as well, and before we knew it, collision repairs were outnumbering restorations.” 

Yeung’s wife, Brenda, joined the business during that era as well, and has always been a “great support,” working for years alongside her husband before retiring to care for their grandchildren. 

In 2000, the shop was nominated to participate in both the Jaguar and Aston Martin structural repair programs, necessitating a move to their third facility — the largest yet. 

“I started in a 1,600 sq. ft. shop in 1975, moved to a 5,000 sq. ft. shop two years later, then expanded that shop to 9,000 sq. ft. in 1980. We completely outgrew that and built a 16,000 sq. ft. facility that opened in 2003. And now we operate in our state-of-the art 34,000 sq. ft. Facility, which we opened in 2017.” 

Amid securing that new location in the early 2000s, Aston Martin contacted Yeung in their global search for shops that could repair the soon-to-be released Vanquish…and they liked what they saw.  

Yeung secured the partnership, and, he says, “that’s how this whole thing really started to evolve” from a shop that specialized in restorations to a shop that focuses solely on OEM repairs. European Motor Car Works has since added Land Rover, British racing/sports cars, and EVs — including Lucid and Rivian — to its lineup as well. 

Keeping the certification portfolio tight — and focusing on high-end vehicles — is European Motor Car Works’ sweet spot. While there was a time Yeung ran two separate shops — one high-end, and one for all other cars (because the difference in labor rate was substantial) — it didn’t prove sustainable. 

“In the end, we couldn’t compete with the MSOs repairing the regular vehicles. I quickly found it wasn’t for me. I'm the old-school guy who just wants to have a hands-on approach to everything; I want to focus on what we’re specialists at repairing.” 

Interestingly, Yeung shares, one of the most effective marketing strategies he’s employed over the years has been buying a vehicle in every brand the shop works on. 

“When I tell people I own these cars…it wins us the customer almost every time. I obviously get a lot of enjoyment out of it as well, being a car-crazy person who loves these brands!” 

The OEM certification model has certainly paid off for him, but before investing in certifications Yeung cautions other owners to ensure they have a “culture of retention” firmly in place. “The certification process is so expensive that there’s no ROI in it if your employees are revolving.” 

“Certifications don’t make you a craftsman — it’s just a piece of paper. Equipment doesn’t make you a craftsman, either — they’re just tools. The knowledge, pride, and responsibility that goes into proper repairs is what makes a craftsman. And we’ve never stopped being craftsmen. Technology has changed the way we repair cars, but it’s never changed our standards. We combine that old-school craftsmanship with today’s engineering and OEM procedures.” 

The entire team operates with that mentality, and many — who Yeung developed from apprentices — have been there over 20 years. Shared responsibility is a pillar of the shop, too — every technician is cross-trained and touches every repair.

The Changing of the Guard  

There was a time, Yeung admits, when he struggled to take a step back after wearing every hat in the business for decades — he painted every single car that came through the shop for the first 35 years, after all. 

“That was our calling card, for a long time — it’s like going to your favorite restaurant where the owner is the chef!” 

When he fell seriously ill with SARS, however, he had no choice but to allow his team to take over for weeks as he recovered…which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. 

“I used to think to myself, ‘How can I ever participate in industry events when I'm a key employee here? But then I got sick, and it was like God’s way of telling me, ‘Hey, you know what…it’s time to step back and let the team I created for you take over.’ It was a turning point in my career, for sure.” 

With his newfound freedom, Yeung became active in the Society of Collision Repair Specialists, and he was honored to be able to take the place of his dear friend, March Taylor, on the SCRS board when he passed away. He also later went on to serve as chairman from 2017-2019. 

“The network I’ve built through SCRS, I can’t ever express how grateful I am for the inspiration, friendships, and business advice I’ve benefited from over the years because of this group of top-tier professionals.” 

A “trainer at heart,” Yeung currently co-chairs the Repairs and Procedures committee, still as thankful as ever for the opportunity to give back to the industry he’s become a staple in. 

“I have all this knowledge that I’ve shared in the shop every day with my employees, but now I’m able to share it with the industry…and that’s a really, really cool thing.” 

One key piece of advice he’d give every owner? Diversify your investments. 

“Set aside money for retirement and invest outside the business. You should have a financial advisor, an attorney, and an accountant. Having that backup plan allows you to be more selective in the work you take on and focus on what’s most profitable for you.” 

A man of deep faith, Yeung’s Christian values inform not only the way he and his family run the shop, but the way in which they interact with customers and aim to contribute to the greater good as well. 

“When I received the March Taylor Kīnāʻole Award several years back, that was a full circle moment for me,” says Yeung humbly. “It was really the highlight for me of my industry involvement.” 

Kīnāʻole — a Hawaiian concept that means “doing the right thing, in the right way, at the right time, in the right place, to the right person, for the right reason, with the right feeling…the first time,” is the embodiment of the driving force behind the Yeung family’s operations. 

“Our shop’s ethos is fourfold: act with integrity, be a good steward of what you’ve been given, treat employees and customers fairly, and serve (rather than take) from the industry.” 

“We genuinely care about our customers,” say Kye’s daughters, Nichole Hubbard and Jennifer Yeung, who have worked in the business for over 20 years. “We lose sleep at night if a customer isn’t happy!” 

Just like their dad, the duo has become well accustomed to wearing many hats in the shop — from estimating to the full array of front office operations, they’re experts in every facet of the business. 

And Kye couldn’t be prouder. 

“I have this beautiful memory of the girls when they were little — every Saturday morning, they’d come in and jump on the bed, the ‘Saturday morning bed pile,’ we’d call it. It was a feeling of peace and unconditional love…this aura that just solidifies that you’re stronger as a family.” 

That, says Kye, is exactly the feeling he’s had ever since his daughters joined him in the business. 

“It’s hard to explain, but we’re just stronger as a family — and they feel the same way.” 

Nichole’s husband, Mike Hubbard, has been an integral member of the team for a long time, too. “He’s our boy wonder,” Kye says, and is a huge asset in the foreman / head mechanic position. Jennifer’s son, Connor Kelly, now also works for the business as a body tech.  

Kye — who says he only comes in these days for “something like a McLaren or an Aston Martin” — has zero concerns about fully retiring someday. “We were nominated for Lucid’s Body Shop of the Year in the Western region last year, and I had absolutely nothing to do with that. It really solidified that we have an amazing team, and they know what they’re doing.”  

The family’s plan for the future, they say, is simple: evolve with the industry, but keep the core values intact that have kept the business successful for over 50 years. 

As car technology continues to advance, Kye sees body shops becoming “structural laboratories” — every car will require thorough research, diagnostics, and material acquisition to ensure a safe, proper repair. 

“We’re talking about technology that can harm people if not repaired properly,” he says, and every shop must ensure that their processes protect not only them, but most importantly the driver of the vehicle. 

The family acknowledges that AI will play a major — although yet undefined — role in operations, too. 

While it can certainly make life easier — providing a “second opinion” of sorts and safety net around OEM guidelines and repair procedures, “it can’t replace experience and common sense,” Nichole says. “The technology should help the people doing the job, not replace them.” 

No matter what the future holds, though, the family will face it as they always have — together — building on the foundation and reputation Yeung laid over the last 50+ years. 

“We are so thankful he’s given us the opportunity to continue his legacy,” Yeung’s daughters say. “We're proud of where we came from, proud of what our dad built, and we just hope to do a good job carrying it forward for the next generation.”