I’ve driven past the spot dozens, if not hundreds of times: just another industrial park along Route 22 in western New Jersey. But on Saturday November 23, 2019, this locale, set back a few hundred feet from the highway, proved to be quite something else, as the New Jersey Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) was invited to tour the Steven Babinsky Restoration Business.

The weather cooperated: it was a sunny and dry, if somewhat crisp day. Many club members took advantage of an optional breakfast at the Readington Diner starting at 8am, which gave us a chance to fuel ourselves with food and coffee while chatting with our buddies about, what else, our cars. By 9:30, the last of the participants met us there, and we totaled over 50 attendees, ready to begin our tour.

NJ REGION AACA MEMBERS’ CARS AT THE READINGTON DINER

From the diner, it was a 5-minute drive to our destination. Steve Babinsky was on hand to greet us, and made us feel quite welcome by informing us that we were free to wander around the premises. A few of his craftsman were working, and they didn’t mind fieldling our questions. Steve also made himself available for Q & A all morning.

The shop itself is huge; there were perhaps two dozen vehicles inside, all in various states of disassembly. I get a kick out of inspecting shop equipment, and I wasn’t disappointed. Everything from lathes, milling machines, and tubing benders, to presses, a paint booth, and a ‘fire pit’ (to pre-heat aluminum prior to welding according to Steve) was inside.

TOOLS & EQUIPMENT IN THE WORKSHOP

With the sole exception of a ’59 Caddy convertible, all the vehicles in this building were pre-war, which is Steve’s specialty. After we had enough running around in the shop, we were invited to enter another warehouse across the parking lot, which serves as a storage building. Here, cars were so tightly packed that it was difficult to walk around (and certainly a challenge to get good photos).

VEHICLES IN THE MAIN SHOP UNDERGOING RESTORATION WORK

One car though stood out among all the valuable machinery. A silver Mercedes-Benz 540K roadster (I believe), looking like an older restoration, was in the middle of the crowd. The top was down; the whitewall tires had long ago turned yellow; it was dusty; and one got the impression that it had not been started in a long time. But its design was breathtaking. Everyone to a person admired it.

THE MERCEDES-BENZ 540K ROADSTER

After staring at so much interesting automotive history, we were invited to drive another 20 minutes to the town of Bloomsbury, where Steve stores yet more vehicles in a building which once was a Studebaker dealership. Scattered among the cars at this location was a lot of automobilia: metal signs, old advertising, hood ornaments, toys, and the like. The biggest surprise (and far and away the biggest vehicle) was a pre-war Ahrens Fox fire engine.

THE REPURPOSED STUDEBAKER DEALERSHIP

Before the tour, I had read a little bit about how Mr. Babinsky got his start. Like many other businesses, things started slowly for him. But once word spread about the quality of his work (he does boast of having restored multiple Pebble Beach winners), he said he has no reason to advertise. He doesn’t even have a website. Based on my very informal observation, he has enough work on hand at present to keep him busy for several years. It was a thrill and a privilege to be given inside access to his business for a few hours.

All photographs copyright © 2019 Richard A. Reina. Photos may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.