Our story
It started with a motorcycle.
Motor Classic began in a small garage in Tatabánya, where a young racer, Zsolt Nagy, restored vintage motorcycles. Today the workshop restores high-class Mercedes-Benz classics, from the 190 SL to the 300 SL Roadster, for collectors across the world.
The founder
Zsolt Nagy
Founder & owner
Zsolt Nagy grew up in Tatabánya, wanting to be a motorcycle racer like his father. He won the 50 cc race at the Hungaroring in 1986, and in 1989 decided he would never again work as an employee.
He began restoring vintage motorcycles in the mid-1990s, took on his first car in 2000 and, from 2004, restored Mercedes-Benz 190 SL and 300 SL cars for international clients. A small garage became a workshop hall in 2012, a second hall in 2015, and a CNC workshop and robotic paint facility in 2020.
Today Motor Classic has a new campus in Tatabánya, restoring Mercedes-Benz classics end-to-end under one roof for collectors around the world, and is now establishing Motor Classic USA.
How we got here
The road so far.
From a garage beside a shooting range to a workshop trusted by collectors.
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1985
Zsolt begins his career in motorcycle racing and mechanics in a garage next to the Tatabánya shooting range.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Zsolt had wanted to become a motorcycle racer since childhood. He was barely ten when the family used their savings to buy him a motorcycle, although at first, all he could do was push it.
“If you have a motorcycle, that’s already good. If it starts, even better. But if you can actually ride it, that’s the real thing.”
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1995
In the last house on the last street of Környebánya, Zsolt and a few friends begin restoring vintage motorcycles.
The late 1980s and early 1990s were spent almost entirely racing and working on motorcycles.
“It was a great time. I loved it. We worked from six in the morning until six in the evening and raced all weekend, yet somehow there was still time for everything.”
A major turning point came in 1989, when Zsolt decided he would no longer work as an employee.
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2000
More and more cars begin to appear in the workshop alongside the motorcycles.
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2004
The first major international client arrives from the Netherlands, bringing orders for Mercedes 190 SL restorations.
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2007
The first 300 SL Roadster project begins, financed entirely in-house.
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2012
The first workshop hall officially opens on 6 October 2012. It is already clear that more space will soon be needed.
A steady flow of commissions from international partners is now established.
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2013
Construction of the electroplating facility is completed in February, followed by the first bumper chrome-plated in-house.
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2013
Zsolt Nagy co-authors a book on the perfect restoration.
Together with Dr. Johann Gwehenberger, Zsolt writes “Oldtimer – Perfekte Restaurierung”, published in August 2013 by Motorbuch Verlag (240 pages, in German).
The book follows the full restoration of a Mercedes-Benz 190 SL, from dismantling and documentation to corrosion protection, choosing specialist firms, and insurance and registration.
See the book on Amazon (opens in a new tab)Cover © Motorbuch Verlag
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2015
The second workshop hall is built and opened.
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2020
The CNC workshop opens and the robotic paint system is installed.
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2021
The robotic paint facility begins operations.
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2023
The new campus is completed: a CNC plant, locksmith and grinding workshops and a central warehouse.
The investment began in October 2022 with the demolition of the old buildings, followed by the foundations of the new hall. The steel structure and panel cladding went up in early 2023, interior fit-out started in April, outdoor works and landscaping in August, and the finishing trades were completed in October.
Sustainability was a key priority: the new hall meets nearly-zero-energy requirements, and solar panels with a planned output of 0.9 MW will supply green energy for the company’s own use.
Around 5,000 m² of green area was planted and renovated, including 1,500 shrubs and bushes and 35 trees.
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2026
Establishing Motor Classic USA.
First debut on Audrain Motor Week.
The album
Pages from the past.
Photographs and notes kept along the way.
1985–86
The first poster and two cups
The poster of the first race, the International Peace and Friendship Cup, held on 28 July 1985. Beside it stand two of Zsolt’s cups from the 50 cc class.
- RaceInternational Peace and Friendship Cup, 28 July 1985
- Cups50 cc class B – 1st place, 1985 and 1986
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Today
The same hands. A bigger workshop.
From a modest workshop to an internationally recognized restoration company. What has never changed is the care and precision behind every car.