About Stitch

Rick 'Stitch' Coleman was always a car guy. At six years old he already had built a large car collection. In the younger years, Match Box cars and later, Hot Wheels. He was always building model cars and airplanes. His first experience with competition was an entry in the pinewood derby.

In the fourth grade he took the wheels off of his wagon and built a car out of scrap plywood and other parts found around the house. It had a hood, trunk and a steering wheel. Later he took apart a few flashlights and used the parts to add working headlights and taillights. "We lived on a hill so I would push it up to the top and drive it down. I hadn't figured out how to make brakes so I just put my feet down to stop. I wore out a lot of shoes”

After graduating from high school in 1979, he opened for business full time in his parents garage offering upholstery services. "I would park the cars in the driveway and do most of the work in the garage. Sometimes there were several cars out there. Fortunately the neighbors were pretty cool and didn't complain."

In 1981 he opened Classic Interiors and started larger and more complex projects, expanding his services to include other aspects of restoration. His first restoration projects were a 356 Porche and a 1959 Jaguar. Over the years there have been many special and unique projects. Among those were lots of Porsches, T-birds, several antiques, a few Cobras, a Corvette Grand Sport, Mercedes 300 SLs, and 2 Locomobiles.

From the beginning his main focus has been on the quality and accuracy of his work. Because of this dedication to craftsmanship, his schedule is always booked months in advance. "I've always strived to be the best. Anybody can do mediocre work. There's no satisfaction in that."