Today we’d like to introduce you to Tim Palazzolo.
Tim, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
GAP Racing, formerly George’s Automotive and Performance was founded in 2007 by my Father George Palazzolo. He worked really hard and had a great clientele base that encouraged him to go out on his own. He set out to build a company that provided honesty and quality service to the Hot Rod industry.
I quit my job in 2008 and teamed up with my dad. For years, we worked side by side. My father was intent on every customer leaving happy, no matter what he had to do to make that happen. He instilled great customer service in me from the beginning. My father was more of the traditional type when it came to cars and I am more into the custom side of the business. We paired those together and have been building award-winning cars since. My father retired in 2015 and I took over the business. I still call him for advice and make sure that I include him in our unveilings and other big events. After all, I would not have any of this, the business, or my skills if it were not for him.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As with any family-owned business, there have been ups and downs. It was hard to draw that line of a son to an employee. But we got passed all that. As far as business struggles, in the beginning, we always wondered, what was next? What would we have to work on next week, how will we cover the bills, etc.
After a few years, we turned to each other and asked, “How will we get all this done?” Now we have a long list of clients that we have built multiple cars for. I still worry about things. But my worries change. As our stage gets bigger, I worry how the next car we bring out will be perceived.
GAP Racing – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We specialize in 1920-late 1970’s muscle cars. Our style is more on the Pro-Touring side. We put a modern touch on a classic car. People forget how the old cars rode and drove. They have become so used to jumping in their car, turning the key, and driving away. We strive to give that same worry-free routine to the Classic American Muscle Car.
We have been fortunate to compete for a Ridler award and earned a Great 8 in Detroit at the Autorama. I was nominated as a 35 under the age of 35 by SEMA, (specialty equipment manufacturers association).
We won a GM Design award at the SEMA show in 2016. We just took home a Top 5 Street Machine of the Year award at the Goodguys Show in Columbus Ohio. We strive to build each car to fit the owner’s wants and needs. I think that sets us apart from everyone else.
Each car is unique as is the owner. We come up with a design, we get a rendering, and then we are able to give our clients a visual of what we think they are looking for. From there we start the build; each car is taken down to bare metal and built from the foundation up. We document the entire process for the customer and keep them in an album online. The customer can log in anytime and check the updates. That is just one of our lines of communication with them.
What are your plans for the future? What are you looking forward to or planning for – any big changes?
Funny, I was asked years ago what I wanted to achieve out of going into the automotive business. My answer was, “I want to be a famous car builder”. I had to elaborate to them on what that meant. I want people to see a vehicle I built and know that GAP Racing built that car. I do not want to be noticed at the grocery store type famous. I have always looked up to the elite builders and admired them. Now that I get to compete against them, I am honored to be up on the same stage and in the same category as them.
A lot of the cars we built are well known in our industry. So what now? Well, now I strive to make sure each car is better than the last. Add a little more detail to each one and a different personal touch to them. I want people to be excited to see what our next project is. I’d like to actually win a Ridler award one day. I would like to build an AMBR car one day too. But, I really enjoy building the street machine cars. Cars that get driven and run as good as they look.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5017 Steffani Ln, Houston, TX 77041
- Website: www.gapracingtx.com
- Phone: 281-741-2514
- Email: info@gapracingtx.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/gapracing
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/gapracingtx
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