Mark Simpson
Like many of us, Mark’s passion for cars started in his early teens. He first dreamed of owning a ’34 Ford 3-window coupe. But as a wide-eyed 15-year-old, he spied a ’40 Chevrolet Coupe alongside a garage while walking home from school, which he picked up for $150.
After being told by his father that the new heap would not have a place in the home garage or driveway, Mark finagled his way into a local auto body garage, doing some grunt work around the place after school. At that moment, the spark for old cars became an unquenchable flame. Using mostly money he made painting cars for local dirt track racers, Mark rebuilt that ’40 Chevy, but had to sell the car to help pay for college. Although the car was gone, the passion for restoring old cars remains to this day.
After college, Mark’s passion continued with the purchase of a ‘31 DeSoto, a ‘37 Chevrolet Coupe, a ‘69 Camaro, a ‘54 Ford F100 and countless other cars over the years. Currently, Mark’s collection includes numerous street rods, customs and muscle cars.
But the old car passion is fueled by more than just building and owning cars. In addition to serving as executive director of the National Street Machine Club and editor of Street Thunder magazine between 2005 and 2011, Mark has served as an active member in numerous local, regional, and national car clubs.
This lifelong passion for old cars allowed Mark to realize his dreams of introductions and building relationships with industry icons, and he’s had the opportunity to work with many of the top hot rod and restoration shops in the Midwest, giving him a first-hand inside look at the tips and tricks the pros use to build world-class cars.
Mark has extended the passion to his family members, with his wife and children deeply hooked. His daughter rebuilt her first engine at the age of 16, and has worked in the automotive aftermarket business since she was 17. She is currently a regional sales rep for a national motor parts company, while his son attended college at WyoTech and has worked for some of the top Hot Rod shops in the country. He is considered by many as a master sheet metal fabricator and is equally gifted in his custom automotive upholstery skills.