Luxury with a capital L

Luxury Autobody in Clifton Hill, Melbourne opened in April 2011 and was very shiny and new when the Paint and Panel awards judging team visited. The shop is chock-a-block with dream cars - Ferraris, Maseratis, racing cars and more run of the mill BMWs, Mercedes and Audi.

The team behind it are from nearby Carpenters Body Works. Carpenters won a tender to become approved repairers for Ferrari and Maserati nearly five years ago, the business also carries out warranty work for BMW. Managing director, Angelo Bertuna said: “Ferrari asked me to do something in the city,”  it also made sense to separate the thoroughbreds from the cart horses and have a stand alone panel shop for the blue blood vehicles.

The huge, ultra-luxurious reception with coffee bar and customers' Italian beauties on display is more like a new car showroom than a panel shop. The workshop itself is light, spacious, clean and uncluttered – which takes the stress out of moving these expensive vehicles around. Two drive through Low Bake ovens sit in the middle of the workshop and a host of Carbenches are lined up with all the pulling equipment adorning the walls.

The Luxury team are very proud of their staff: “They are the best of the best,” says Bertuna. As well four panel beaters and two painters, there is also a full time mechanic/assembler and a detailer. The shop repairs around 16 to 20 cars a week.
 
Bertuna has made panel beater and workshop manager Frank Raco and estimator Dean Pangbourne partners in the business. Raco has the drawn the long straw and gets to go to Italy each year to take part in the Ferrari factory training. While he enjoys the country and the food, the Ferrari training is fierce and if you don't make the grade then you lose approval.

Raco spends many hours in the aluminium bay practising his welding on spare bits of aluminium, making sure he has every technique spot on before he performs the welds on customers' damaged Ferraris.
Raco gives an example of the exacting nature of working on the prancing horse: “Take the Ferarari 599. I study it stage by stage, I check on the guys' work every half an hour. With these cars you have to take your time. There is no such thing as a stretch on the jig. If you make a mistake you have to cut it out and start again.”