Summer 2026

158 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 6 tigious automobile events, the Concours d’Elegance. This business is a veritable time machine where old vehicles enter one door in less than immaculate shape and roll out appear- ing and functioning as they did on their original dealer’s showroom floor. “We’ve prepared one to three cars every year for the Concours for the last 20 years,” says shop owner Scott Henningsen. “We are one of a very few businesses who work at that level.” Henningsen’s team of 12 highly skilled craftsmen are experts at repairing, reconstructing or recreating virtually any part of a car, from nuts and bolts to body parts, control knobs, drive- trains, electrical systems and upholstery, all to meticulous standards. Most square feet of the company’s high- ceiling steel buildings are occupied by machine tools of every description. It’s a tool lover’s dream. Henningsen has been purchasing auto- motive signage for decades, and his extensive collection—which includes many posters from past Pebble Beach Concours—is displayed throughout. Cars in various stages of restoration take up the rest of the space, covered in heavy plastic tarps. Here’s the Pierce-Arrow that took a trophy at the 2025 Concours. Over there is another of that make—owned by Henningsen himself—that he loves to take out for head- turning spins with family and friends and at spe- cial events. As a teen and following graduation from Salinas’ Palma High School, Henningsen worked for the construction company his grandfather founded in 1947, now helmed by his brother Brent. He earned a business degree and kept the company books for a time, but the lure of wrenching on cars was strong. “I used to earn extra money by doing oil changes and repairs on my friend’s cars,” he says. He learned how to work in the company’s shop, repairing tractors and learning to work with machine tools. Indeed, his first foray in business was engine repair services. As his business grew, he hired more employees—for a present total of 12— including three expert upholsterers from a Watsonville upholstery company that folded during the Covid pandemic. Henningsen Machine Shop still offers furniture restoration as part of its portfolio. Modern schools typically don’t teach the fine (Clockwise from top left) Fidel Gonzales, Efrain Sanches-Anguiano and Ryan Piepersloot are three of the highly adept craftsmen who restore automobiles and furniture at Henningsen Machine Shop. The crew boasts a wide range of skills. Photos: Kelli Uldall