ABOUT EMPIRE
Where WE Started
ESTABLISHED IN 2015 BY DAVID AND MATT.
Empire Automotive is a small crew with deep roots. McPherson graduates, lifelong mechanics, and craftsmen who still believe in minding the details and earning trust the hard way, by doing good work.
Between us, there’s well over a hundred years of experience. Maybe closer to 150, if you count late nights and personal projects. We’ve worked in dealerships, restoration shops, and garages that taught us how not to treat people.
That’s part of why Empire exists, to build something better. A place where you can walk through the door, talk cars, share stories, and know you’re dealing with people who care as much about the relationship as the result. We’re known in Kansas City, respected in the industry, and still the kind of shop where someone drops by just to say hi.
We laugh a lot, argue sometimes, and solve problems most people would walk away from. We do it because it’s what we were made to do. We’re friends who became family, a team that treats every car like it carries a piece of someone’s story, because they do.
We stand behind our work and our decisions. We work with you, not at you. In this shop, it’s never just about fixing cars, it’s about building trust, honoring history, and keeping something real alive.
THE OWNERS
Matt and David
Repair and Restoration
We handle both. A vehicle with a specific mechanical problem does not need a full restoration quote. We assess what the vehicle actually needs and scope the work accordingly.
How We Work
A written scope and estimate up front, we don’t start work without your sign-off, photos at the moments that matter, and a shop you can walk into. You always know where your car stands.
What We Value
Honesty about condition, realistic timelines, and work that holds up. We would rather lose a job than overpromise and underdeliver.
THE PEOPLE
MEET THE TEAM
Decades of combined experience with pre-1972 American and European vehicles.
The hands behind every project
DAVID
JACK
JAMIE
Wilbur
BROOKE
DAWN
MATT
MILAN
logan
The Process
How We Handle Every Project
Most problems with shops come down to a lack of structure: no clear scope, no communication, no accountability. We built our process specifically to prevent that, whether it is a small repair or a multi-year restoration.
✔ Every job starts with a real evaluation of the car, not a generic quote. We tell you what it actually needs.
✔ You get a written scope and estimate up front, and we do not turn a wrench without your go-ahead.
✔ We send photos at the moments that matter in the build, so you watch it come together.
✔ Invoices go out weekly, so there are no surprises on the bill. And the shop is open, so come by and look at your car.
✔ If a job calls for a specialist, we use people we have known for years. You deal with us, and it stays under one roof.
✔ Before we hand it back, we put real shakedown miles on the car. We drive it, make adjustments and work through anything that shows up so - - -it’s performing the way it should when it leaves our shop.