Whidbey Island master mechanic building dream car from “Speed Racer”

CLINTON — Jim Simpson will award $100 to anyone who can correctly identify every car in his garage. He hasn’t had to cough up the dough yet, but there’s one vehicle any fan of “Speed Racer” will instantly recognize.

It’s been Simpson’s dream to bring the Mach Five race car from the ‘60s cartoon to life, and six months ago he began work on making it a reality.

Distinguished with a red “M” written across the hood, the iconic white speedster will be drivable. He said the project is for “my most discerning customer: me.”

“As a kid, I was a huge Mach Five fan,” Simpson said. He thought about the project for years until one day, “I got up one morning and I went (screw) it, I’m going to do this.”

Simpson, of Clinton, is a master mechanic who restores high-end European and Japanese sports cars under the name Contemporary Classics of Washington. His workshop is surrounded by the woods of Whidbey Island. He also creates one-of-a-kind cars under the name Simpson Design.

His prototypes, called concept cars, showcase a particular style, design or technology. Simpson describes them as “automotive flights of fantasy.” Some are commissions for customers, which generally start around $250,000, while others are made for fun.

The first step in making a car from scratch is to draw some rough sketches. For the Mach Five design, for example, Simpson drew softer, less cartoonish lines and was heavily influenced by Italian automakers.

Then he builds a 3D plastic model of the vehicle to ensure the design isn’t physically impossible to create.

Once the plan is finalized, Simpson starts work on construction.

The base platform and mechanicals are stripped from a donor car. For his Mach Five, Simpson is using an engine from a Mazda Miata, stripped of electronics, along with other modifications. The wheels are from a rare Lamborghini Miura, which Simpson had stashed away for 37 years. Fewer than 800 were built. He estimates the wheels alone are worth $9,000.

Simpson is about 70% done building the chassis. Once the body is complete, it will be sent off to the fiberglass shop. Then Simpson will install the interior before final assembly and painting. It should take another six months to finish everything.

Helping him on the project is J.R. Graham, of Everett. A fellow auto expert, the two have shared a workspace for a decade. Simpson uses Graham, 33, as a contractor who works under the name Rad Auto Works.

Graham said Simpson has talked about building his own Mach Five for as long he’s known him,, so he’s happy to finally see it take shape. He said the best part of working on the car is assembly. He enjoys putting the “puzzle pieces” together. When it comes to cars, Graham said Simpson can do anything

“If you bring a problem to him, he’ll figure it out,” Graham said. “He definitely knows cars more than anybody I’ve ever met, for sure.”

Simpson’s passion dates to his childhood in Houston, Texas. His parents worked as school teachers, but he was “a kid that had a pretty active mind” and was drawn to cars. He had a “real high mechanical aptitude” and could look at things and understand how they generally worked.

“I developed a fascination with cars when I was a child, I don’t know why,” Simpson said. “I wound up helping neighbors with their cars and stuff, which is kind of how I found out that I had some ability. And then one thing led to another.”

At 13, he got his first job working on cars at a gas station. Then in high school he took an auto shop class sponsored by General Motors. He went on to participate in a three-year European-style apprenticeship followed by a two-year Ferrari apprenticeship where he “got to work on a lot of just really amazing damn cars.”

Simpson has worked for different companies over the years, but always preferred the freedom that comes with being his own boss. He opened his first shop in the late ‘70s in a Texas warehouse used for storing textbooks.

He grew that business to 17 employees, and every day they would close the shop at 1:30 p.m. to watch “Speed Racer” on TV.

In 1997, Simpson moved to Washington to escape the heat. These days Simpson prefers to work alone, except with Graham, and is selective about his clientele. He is working on six projects, some which take more than year to finish. He says his phone rings daily with job requests and he turns them all down. Simpson says he just wants to take on work that intrigues him.

“I’m more picky the older I get,” he said. “It’s not snobbery, it’s just I only have so much time and I want to spend my time doing stuff that I enjoy doing.”

Once the Mach Five is complete, Simpsons plans to show it off at local car club meet ups and shows. As for the business, Simpson admits he works less hours than in his younger days. He has less stamina, but he doesn’t plan to slow down anytime soon.

“I get paid to do something I really love, but it’s not about the money,” Simpson said, adding “I will probably retire the day I drop dead.”

Eric Schucht: 425-339-3477; eric.schucht@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @EricSchucht.