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Its clients include owners, enthusiasts, and collectors of classic vehicles, as well as repair shops looking for solutions for engine rebuilds and electrical component overhauls.
Anyone who attended the latest Zoute Grand Prix likely saw Rock N Roll Classics in action. Anthony Vander Stichele, co-owner of the company, explains:
“We were the exclusive technical partner of the Zoute Grand Prix. During the event, we operated six service vehicles to handle breakdowns and provide technical assistance. In total, we carried out just over 140 interventions. These ranged from a simple flat tire to more serious mechanical issues. In this way, we were able to relieve participants of concerns by offering practical solutions.”
The cars participating in the Zoute Grand Prix are highly diverse and often rare. Solving technical issues on such vehicles requires expertise and experience — exactly what Rock N Roll Classics specializes in.
Passion, Patience and Quality
The company was founded ten years ago by Thijs Verhage. Anthony Vander Stichele later joined as a second partner. In the early days, there was only one technician; today, the company employs 27 people.
Working on older cars requires patience. Parts and technical data can be difficult to source, and when parts are no longer available, they must be manufactured in-house. The same applies to finding the original body color.
The company insists on maintaining originality and high-quality workmanship. Body filler is kept to an absolute minimum, and welding must be executed flawlessly — even in areas that are not visible. During restorations, the team often discovers what they call superficial “patchwork” from previous repairs.
Showroom
Rock N Roll Classics is located on Gistelsteenweg in Varsenare-Jabbeke. The former truck garage has been transformed, with large windows replacing the original high entrance doors to showcase the showroom.
The showroom features a selection of company-owned vehicles as well as cars sold on consignment. Every vehicle undergoes a thorough quality inspection before being offered for sale. Only cars deemed “Rock N Roll worthy” are approved.
After inspection, a realistic market price and minimum seller return are agreed upon and documented in a consignment contract.
The company also purchases vehicles directly. When sourcing specific cars for clients, the search often extends abroad — including the United States and even South America.
Workshop and Specialized Departments
The central workshop has ten vehicle lifts and state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment for suspension, brakes, emissions testing, and headlight alignment. Each technician has a particular specialty, such as carburetor or fuel injection tuning.
Engines are removed in the central workshop and disassembled in a separate, dedicated engine room. The engine rebuild department features an impressive range of machining equipment for boring, honing, resurfacing, grinding, cleaning, and balancing.
One specialty is line boring, for example when machining camshaft bearing surfaces. Unlike crankshafts, camshafts do not use bearing shells; the bearings are machined directly into the cylinder head.
While the primary goal is to return vehicles to their original condition, performance or reliability upgrades can be made in consultation with the client. The company also installs Blunik tripmasters for rally and regularity events upon request.
Engine rebuilding and machining services are also provided to other repair shops. The same applies to rebuilding generators, alternators, and starter motors. Other garages are seen as colleagues rather than competitors.
Body Shop
The body shop handles both collision repair and full restorations. When replacement parts are no longer available, they are fabricated in-house using cutting and bending machines and an English wheel. For structural repairs, the company uses a Celette frame bench.
During our visit, vehicles included a Volvo P1800, a Ferrari, a Lamborghini Countach, and an extremely rare Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing.
Most 300 SLs were originally red, silver-gray, or black. The example at Rock N Roll, however, is being restored to a rare original green — making accurate color formulation a particular challenge.
While the metalworking area has a classic feel, the preparation and paint areas are high-tech, featuring spectrum analyzers, a computer-controlled mixing system, and UV-compensated lighting.
The paint mixing station still uses solvent-based paints, as originally applied when the cars were new, though modern water-based alternatives are also available.
Originality is crucial, especially for exclusive models such as a Maserati 3500 GTi with Vignale coachwork — a unique prototype built for display at the Geneva Motor Show in the early 1960s.
