Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Hesterman.
Hi Andrew, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always liked working on cars and customizing them, even before I could drive. During high school, a big Saturday night was working on one of my friend’s cars and hanging out in the garage. Through 25 years in the Marine Corps, I had very little time for the hobby but did do some vehicle restoration/customization when I had time. After I retired from the Marine Corps and moved to Lake Asbury, I started doing bigger vehicle projects. A company I had been following had a spin off company that made a kit to turn a Volkswagen Jetta into a pickup. The 80s VW rabbit pickup was my favorite ‘affordable’ car. This was a little more modern version with ABS, airbags, A/C and the comforts of a car from the 2000s. It still had the aura of the rabbit pickup and was something no one else would have. I built one and loved it but wished I had built it a little bit differently. I sold it, bought another one and built that. While I was building, I made YouTube videos of the builds. The videos were pretty successful and more importantly, established me as one of the early quality builders. I started getting messages regarding how much I would charge to build some one else one. The company, Smyth Performance, started sending me their first editions when they came out with new cars. I would build them and provide content (videos and pictures) for them to hang on their social media outlets.
I finished and published my book (about 25 years in the Marine Corps), quit my job doing home repair and started Hestermann Motorwerks. I’d always dreamed of customizing cars as a full-time job. Each build takes about 9 weeks so a good year, I’ll build 6. It depends on the condition of the car I’m starting with and the amount of extra touches the customer wants. I’ve built about 25 total but have started focusing on the Beetles and doing a little extra customizations in addition to the Ute Kit. Technically the car is a Ute when I’m done but most Americans aren’t familiar with the term or the differences between Ute and pickup so they are frequently referred to as pickups.
I’ve sent them to Canada and Hawaii but most of my builds go to the South East. Every year, I have to turn customers away but always refer them to the three other professional builders. In a nutshell, I turn VW Beetles into pickups professionally.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Running a small business always has challenges. It has taken me a little while to establish a logistical flow. You have to have the rights parts and materials on hand to keep work flowing. Suppliers and shippers changing can disrupt the flow and cause delays. Delays snowball because there is always another car waiting to roll into the shop. Of course COVID raised some issues for me as it did for almost all small business owners. For the most part though I was able to just keep working by myself in my little shop. Having a little income from my Marine retirement has helped smooth the financial ups and downs. At least I could always pay the rent. I’ve never had an issue from lack of business, just cash flow between payments particularly if a job was getting delayed. I do not like to ask a customer for money when I am behind on their car.
A strange and not always bad challenge is that I work at home. It can be hard to establish boundaries when people who don’t work at home don’t understand when I’m ‘at work’. I am surprised at how many people don’t understand that ‘at home’ can equal ‘at work’. If I don’t work, cars don’t get finished and I don’t get paid.
An extension of that is the unique nature of these vehicles. I get a fair amount of looky loos that just want to come in and look at the unique vehicles. I do enjoy talking about them and I love to show off my work. However, if I’m not working, work doesn’t get done and I don’t get paid. It just about setting boundaries.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in converting VW New Beetles (1998-2010) into Utes (basically a pickup). I have published many ‘how-to’ videos and developed some special additions and techniques. As a result, I am regarded as the premier builder in the US. Im proud of the fact that over 25 vehicles completed, only one customer was not completely thrilled with their car. And He didn’t really understand the nature of custom cars. What sets me apart from others is that I involve the customer in the build. They get to see video and pictures through every stage and have the opportunity to ask questions and even request extra steps
What’s next?
I have three personal cars I want to build that I never seem to get time to get too. I look forward to building some time into the schedule to work on those!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hestermannmotorwerks.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hestermannmotorwerks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hestermannmotorwerks
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@hestermannmotorwerks?si=reeng5kAfsHizUFa
