Local Mechanic Turns Passion For Classic Cars Into His Full Time Job

(CENTRAL, La.) — While there are many small businesses in Central, Louisiana,  Wayne’s Collision & Restoration carries over 20 years of history. The Click spoke with owner and founder Wayne Phillippe about how his passion for restoring cars turned into his full time career.

“I got a marketing degree at Southeastern University, and while I was in college I worked at a body shop,” Phillippe said. “I ended up going  to the corporate world, and realized I was a blue collar guy.”

Phillippe started Wayne’s Collision & Restoration from scratch after that. Now, 20 years later, they restore classic cars and do collision work for wrecked vehicles.

The shop’s collision work ranges from major accidents to minor accidents, while the classic car side of things allows for Phillippe to let his creativity flow. His passion for old cars is what originally brought him to the business even though collision is now the main income source for his business.

“I still continue to do restoration today because I enjoy it so much,” Phillippe said. “My dad got me involved in that as a young kid.”

Phillippe took us to a different part of the shop where a candy blue ’64 Impala sat completely custom built alongside a classic Mustang  being restored back to its original look.

After 20 years in business, days don’t look the same as they used to at the shop, but that doesn’t stop Phillippe from being passionate about his projects.

Today, his tasks are filled with a variety of things apart from paint and body work. Despite the change in his work day over the course of his business’s lifetime, Phillippe is ready for whatever project comes through the doors of his shop.