Central Carolina Community College’s 1940 Ford unveiled at the Motorcar Cavalcade in Miami

February 3, 2025

At the Motorcar Cavalcade in Miami this February, students from the Central Carolina Community College’s school of Automotive Restoration presented the result of their hard work and dedication – a modified 1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe, which was arranged for donation to the school by Motorcar Cavalcade Executive Director Jason Wenig.


CCCC students utilized their newly learned technical skills to breathe new life into this iconic classic vehicle, performing a body-off transformation. The Ford was brought down to bare sheet metal, and hundreds of hours of fabrication, body, paint, mechanical, and interior work resulted in the completed project. This gorgeous custom car was unveiled in the RPM Foundation space at the Motorcar Cavalcade event.



Special thanks to the donor of the Ford, Bob Varker, who generously gave this car to the school for the benefit of the restoration program.



share this

Related Articles

Related Articles

By RPM Foundation December 9, 2025
The RPM Restorer’s Award was recently presented at the Hilton Head Island Concours d’Elegance & Motoring Festival and the Muscle Car & Corvette Nationals. This award honors not just the car, but the craftspeople behind its restoration whose work reflects mastery, passion, hands-on skill, and a deep respect for preservation. Exhibitors may nominate the individual or shop responsible for their restoration or preservation and RPM staff and our advisors then conduct interviews to select the recipient. We place special emphasis on those who have mentored apprentices and students, ensuring the next generation is inspired and equipped. Let's meet our winners!
By RPM Foundation July 29, 2025
The RPM Foundation is proud to announce the we have wrapped production on the first episode our new docu-series, Endangered Skills . This series, being produced with the assistance of Lucky Kraken , is designed to preserve and share the rare, hands-on techniques that are vital to keeping classic cars on the road, many of which are practiced by only a handful of experts across the country. Filming for the first episode took place at LaVine Restorations in Nappanee, Indiana, and featured owner and expert Travis LaVine and RPM Apprentice Jesse Corder. LaVine Restorations is currently mentoring seven RPM Apprentices! Travis and Jesse worked together to demonstrate the essential steps in planning a professional vehicle restoration. This foundational episode sets the tone for what’s to come, giving viewers a detailed look at how expert-level restorations begin. Future episodes will dive into step-by-step instruction of specialized skills such as bending windshield glass, babbitting for bearings, and more. These are the techniques that are becoming increasingly rare, and RPM is committed to keeping them alive. Stay tuned for the release date and information about upcoming episodes. If you have a rare skill that you believe would suit our series, we'd love to hear from you! Please send us a message !
By RPM Foundation June 17, 2025
The 2025 Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, held in late May in Greenwich, CT, showcased a dazzling array of vehicles spanning vast eras and origins. Among the fantastic automobiles sat a dark green 1986 Lamborghini Countach LP5000 Quattrovalvole that forced an extended pause by any who passed by. Freshly restored for the Serafino Collection by Bruce Canepa and the Canepa team , the owners' themselves sought to recognize Bruce's master craftsmanship. They did so with a nomination for the RPM Restorer's Award, a bestowment acknowledging not just the beauty of the cars on the lawn, but the skill it takes to achieve such condition. At the event, RPM Foundation Executive Director Nick Ellis presented the award, honoring the Canepa team's abilities in all facets of restoration. Along with celebrating the artistry of restoration and preservation, special consideration is given to RPM Restorer's Award nominees who pass their skillset on to the next generation. Bruce Canepa, who discovered a love for vehicles at a young age himself, has provided mentorship to numerous up-and-coming restoration professionals. For this, and his exceptional capabilities, we applaud him! And the Countach? It is indeed quite a machine. The car underwent a full ground-up restoration at Canepa that included a few custom touches designed to feel as if they came straight from the factory. Among them, a white leather and green Alcantara interior, a tuned 5.2-liter V-12, and subtle bodywork tweaks that make the iconic wedge even sleeker. Congrats to Bruce Canepa and his team on their efforts to preserve automotive history now, and well into the future.
ALL ARTICLES