The Surgery is one of New Zealand's premier automotive and classic car restoration studios, based at 9 Wall Place in Kenepuru, Porirua — in the Tawa area, just outside central Wellington city. With more than 35 years of experience behind the team, the workshop restores classics, exotics and cherished daily drivers to exceptional, even concourse, standards — keeping fabrication and metalwork, chassis restoration, paintwork, upholstery and coach trimming, engine and drivetrain rebuilding, and electrics all in-house, so craftsmanship, parts, materials and techniques never leave their control.
Alongside full restorations, The Surgery offers collision repairs, WOF inspections and servicing tailored specifically to classic and vintage cars, rust repairs backed by a 10-year guarantee, and CorrosionX rustproofing as the only approved applicator in the Wellington region. It is also a CarPro certified detailing centre and CQuartz Finest approved installer, covering everything from ceramic coatings to paint protection film, and it converts classic cars to fully electric drive as a Fellten EV Kits New Zealand conversion partner. Vapour blasting, 3D printing of unavailable parts, pre-purchase inspections, vehicle importation and entry compliance, alloy wheel repair, disability vehicle modifications and secure, dry vehicle storage round out a genuinely comprehensive offer.
Projects are run personally: owners are kept in the loop on a regular basis, receive detailed costings so they can make informed decisions, and can choose full project management or a more hands-on partial arrangement. Every rust repair and paintwork job is guaranteed to stay in first-class condition for 10 years — or The Surgery will put it right at their cost. Phone or email the team to make an appointment to discuss your project.
The Surgery has earned its reputation over more than 35 years as one of New Zealand's leading classic car restoration studios. The workshop sits at 9 Wall Place in Kenepuru, Porirua — in the Tawa area, just outside central Wellington city — and describes itself, with some justification, as the country's premier automotive and classic car restoration studio.
The name is a deliberate wink at the work: this is a hospital for cars, a place where tired, rusty or accident-damaged vehicles are brought back to full health. Unlike many bodyshops, The Surgery keeps its services in-house — fabrication and metalwork, chassis restoration, paintwork and coachwork, upholstery and coach trimming, engine and drivetrain rebuilding, and electrics — so the team controls the craftsmanship, parts, materials and techniques at every step. That is how they reach what they call concourse-standard results.
Projects range from small, specific areas of rust through to partial or full restorations, and even one-off design-and-build commissions. Where original panels survive, the team keeps them; where they don't, craftsmen roll exact replicas from sheet metal so the new metal appears to have left the factory with the car. Interiors are returned to their original look and feel, or re-trimmed to a bespoke brief, and engines are reconstructed as the designer originally intended.
For owners who want classic looks with modern manners, the Modernisation service refines ignition, brakes and suspension — improving safety, reliability and comfort while keeping the character of the car intact. All of this sits under a simple promise borrowed from the old adage "do it once, do it right": every rust repair and paintwork job is guaranteed to stay in first-class condition for 10 years, or The Surgery will put it right at its own cost. As an MTA member, the business also signs up to the MTA Customer Promise and Code of Ethics.
The Surgery is the only approved CorrosionX applicator in the Wellington region, offering rustproofing packages for classic and exotic cars, motorbikes, RVs, caravans, jet skis, boats and trailers — a clean alternative to foul-smelling fish-oil products. It is also a CarPro certified detailing centre and CQuartz Finest approved installer, applying ceramic coatings from CQuartz UK and Professional up to the flagship Finest Reserve, alongside paint protection film, SmartChip® paint chip repair and paintless dent removal. CarPro car care products are stocked in-house for DIY detailers.
The future gets a look-in too. As Fellten EV Kits' New Zealand conversion partner, the team plans and builds fully electric classic cars — recent work includes an EV-converted Mini Moke. Elsewhere in the workshop, vapour (aqua) blasting gently restores cylinder heads, crank cases, wheel hubs and other metal parts without eating into the substrate, while a 3D printing service recreates fiddly old parts that are no longer available anywhere. Rounding out the offer: WOF inspections and servicing tailored to classics, pre-purchase assessments, vehicle importation and entry compliance, alloy wheel repair, disability vehicle modifications, and secure, dry vehicle storage for collectors at home or overseas.
Owners work with a team that keeps them in the loop on a regular basis from start to finish, with detailed costings so decisions can be made with confidence. The Surgery offers full project management, or partial management with referral to its proven networks for owners who want more hands-on input. The company describes its own mix as creative and innovative ability combined with sound Kiwi practicality and a can-do attitude — and if something isn't right, they say, talk to the team and they will put it right.
The workshop is active in the wider car community too, running The Surgery Sprints and maintaining links with automotive clubs, while its blog follows recent jobs: a repaint for a 1993 Rover Mini Cooper, a Nissan Skyline R34 GTR, an Aston Martin sun visor repair, a leaking Porsche Boxster soft top, and ceramic protection packages for modern daily drivers.
If you have a project in the making, phone or email the team to make an appointment — they ask that you get in touch first so your collectable or classic car gets the attention it deserves.