Frank’s Pitstop Motors
Starting out in 1987, Frank Failla has built a successful automotive business that runs on passion as much as fuel. “You have to be very passionate to be in this industry, and you never stop learning. The guy who tells you he knows everything about cars is a bullshit artist; you learn every day. The day you stop learning is the day you die – and that’s in life, not
just cars.”
“My business partner, Tony, and I work together to make each car work better. We give clients a list of what’s wrong with their car and then ask what they want fixed. They tell us and we fix it and bring it up to scratch. We try and leave it better than it was when it came in. Being able to resurrect the car and watch it drive away is what gives me satisfaction. Not the money; the satisfaction in knowing that I can do that.”
“When it comes to classic cars, it’s all about passion. If you don’t have passion, you don’t own these cars. Design, style, the way they’re built, history, culture – it’s all there. [Jeremy] Clarkson said ‘everyone should have an Alfa once in their life, and having an Alfa is like having a mistress: you never know what you’re going to get’. And he’s so right. Personally, I drive an Alfa. But my wife is my first love, my car is my second love,” Frank laughs.
“Like humans, cars need to detox. How do you detox an Alfa Romeo?
Get it on a racetrack, rev it at 6000rpm and give it all it’s got. You’ll come off the track with a smile from ear to ear. We do a lot of European stuff: Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Fiat, and the odd Ferrari here and there. Maserati too.”
“Both eras of car manufacture [classic and modern] are very interesting, but as long as you have that mechanical mind you’ll pick it up and appreciate it. I appreciate all mechanical stuff, not just cars. Some new cars have a lot of style, definitely. Different era, different style but still have a lot of style.”
Frank’s son Daniel works alongside him handling the spare parts division. “I run our online stores. I set them up about four years ago, and we have two stores: one is Alfa Car Centre and the other is OEM Warehouse. Pretty much I sell car parts for Frank and Tony, online and through the store. We sell genuine parts, so the business has credibility,” Daniel explains.
“As cars get older is does become harder to find parts, but over the years we’ve actually compiled so many parts that we have a separate warehouse full of them. There are also international suppliers that we deal with weekly who are also able to supply parts that will make a car look shiny and new again. A lot of the hard stuff you don’t see [under the body] you can’t get anymore, so that’s when you need to get a bit creative.”
Frank’s Pitstop Motors
Summer Hill NSW
www.frankspitstop.com.au
