People come into the shop all the time and ask, "How did you get into this business?" The answer lies in a passion for rare, handmade cars and in the Vermont-nurtured priority placed on quality craftsmanship rather than quick fixes and convenience. RPM's founder is Peter Markowski, born the oldest of eight on a dairy farm in central Vermont. As you can imagine, in order for a farm to be profitable, mechanical wits are needed to keep equipment ticking away. This mechanical aptitude led Peter to work on old Packard cars at a neighbor's house.
When Peter was fourteen years-old, this neighbor bought, drove, and broke a bedraggled, retired race car called a Ferrari Barchetta. The neighbor did not want the "old junker" anymore so he sold it to Peter in return for $500 and a promise that Peter get all the Packards running.
Being a teenager, Peter's first instinct was to throw a Ford V-8 into the Barchetta and go hot rodding. However, a wise sage advised him to restore it to its original condition, which Peter did -- over the course of twenty years. In the meantime, he married, raised four kids, and worked at several jobs. Eventually, Peter finished restoring the car. The once-decaying Ferrari was now worth many times what it was when he bought it. In the process, Peter learned a lot about the industry through networking to find parts and advice.
After working in the construction industry, at a farm service bank, and selling heavy trucks, Peter realized his dream to become self-employed and express his passion for these old cars on a daily basis. Soon Peter's two sons were eager to return from school to help create the buzz that RPM builds back into the cars. In 1986, the family built the red barn shop, which has since undergone several expansions. The shop is now run by Peter and his son Stephan.