Ethos

Hi, my name is Chris. I'm an artist, mechanic, simplicity enthusiast, and mad scientist hot-rodder. I’ve been into cars my entire life, maintaining and modifying my own BMWs at a hobby level starting in 2007, and at a professional level since 2021. My experience in the automotive industry has made me aware of several trends that I ultimately found intolerable over time - Increasing complexity, encumbering technology, decreasing parts quality, compromised privacy, and tighter OEM control.

​

In my opinion, modern cars are difficult to live with. This is due to a number of factors, including, but not limited to: Increasing performance, emissions, and safety requirements, complicated electronic control systems, and manufacturer profit incentives. These factors are combining to make objectively “better” cars, but at the expense of reliability, sustainability, repair cost, and ownership rights. As cars become more complex, they place more of a burden on the people who own them, repair them, and drive them. Having become acutely aware of this, I decided to leave the traditional automotive repair industry and pursue an endeavor that I find more conducive to values I hold dearly: Simplicity, privacy, ownership, and individuality.

​

Decaf Motorworks was created out of my own desire to preserve and enhance my favorite BMWs from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, specifically the E38, E39, & Z3 chassis. Relative to models before and after their time, I feel that these cars offer the most well-rounded combination of performance, aesthetics, build quality, and driver engagement. It is my mission to artfully restore and modify these cars in ways that ease the costs of ownership and improve the driving experience, enabling them to serve the longest possible lives as the mechanical companions we love.