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Photography by Thomas Carter
The Creative Workshop in Dania Beach, Florida is an enthusiast’s dream. Anyone who has a car restored, improved, or recreated wishes it could be done in a place like this. Unlike today’s sterile concrete environments where most classic cars are reborn, the aged wood and classic signage that make up this barn-like structure add to the creative inspiration. Each project is unique and is only handled by craftsman.
What is even more impressive is that occasionally owners Jason and Kim Wenig will open the doors at night and host a cocktail party for friends. Miraculously all the stray tools and debris from the day’s shop work disappear. Within a matter of hours it’s transformed from a functioning shop into a gallery for rolling art.
For this occasion the Creative Workshop is hosting a fundraiser for the Wolfsonian Museum in Miami. The theme the Wolfsonian is using for the weekend includes the car as art, and the Creative Workshop is currently the home of many examples.
The cocktail party features whatever the shop happens to be working on at the time. While this may sound a little ordinary, in a place like the Creative Workshop it means showing off cars like a custom bodied Maserati 3500 GT, Ferrari Daytona, one-of-a-kind Abarth, and a 1 of 1 AC MA 200 “missing link”. The event even brought back a few of the Creative Workshop’s more famous creations such as the Ferrari 250 TR inspired Sport Speciale and the Pebble Beach winning Stanguellini. Everything in the shop is worth its own single coverage (and we will be posting more about these in the future,) but the night belonged to the shop’s latest creation.
Jason started out with the best intentions of rebuilding a 1959 Sunbeam Alpine for his wife, but it quickly turned into his own. This cocktail party was the unveiling of a labor of love that’s been going on for a few years. While this Alpine will carry Kim and their two boys, Jason built it to be best used as the couple’s beach cruiser.
It’s hard for a Sunbeam Alpine to steal the spotlight away from cars by Ferrari, Jaguar, Maserati, Mercedes, and Lamborghini, but this little roadster is pure motoring. Every enthusiast at the party instantly recognized the Alpine is full of details that celebrate the Sunday drive. The side glass was removed and there is no top, so the whole body could be modified for a sleeker look. The interior is custom made from Italian leather and feature classic stopwatches. The 1725 cc Alpine engine has been rebuilt and received upgrades including performance forged pistons, custom valvetrain, and Dellorto sidedraft carburetors – all combined, the Alpine now has a performance comparable to a Sunbeam Tiger. Wenig even converted the car to right-hand drive for a true British roadster feel.
This is exactly the right mascot for the Creative Workshop. Just like this Alpine, the shop doesn’t flaunt an outrageous personality with its projects. Instead it just elevates the character each car was born with so that owners can fully enjoy classic motoring.
