We recently spotted a golden Alfa Romeo GTV from the 1970s at the Classic Expo in Salzburg. However, the paintwork of the sporty coupé was anything but "golden", but rather presented itself in an extremely "used" condition.
Many traces of past decades shimmered in the paintwork of the timeless Bertone bodywork. Numerous scratches and adhesive residues covered the paint surface, which was more reminiscent of orange peel.
"This is a classic, normal condition of a vehicle that has lacked proper care," said Jean-Pierre and set to work. The 57-year-old Swiss is a passionate paint refinisher. As a technician at ProNax, Globo's general importer, he and his small team of professionals rely on the most innovative products and processes. Thanks to the products of FIVA Professional Member Globo, the experts achieve brilliant results, both on classic cars and new vehicles.
Using Globo products, Jean-Pierre first thoroughly cleans the surface before expertly sanding off the top layer of clearcoat and then carefully polishing it back up again. This is a labor of patience that requires a great deal of feeling and expertise for the respective paint and its special composition.
The result is impressive: The scratches and impurities disappeared with every step. In the end, the paintwork shone like it did 50 years ago when the Alfa Romeo left the factory in Arese.
The delighted owner of the Alfa could hardly believe what he saw, "I never thought it could be done like this, my car is now more beautiful than ever before." Jean-Pierre and his team were clearly delighted to receive such heartfelt praise from a satisfied customer.
Professional customers also appreciate the brilliant work of ProNax. Museums and private collectors throughout Europe entrust Jean-Pierre with their collections. He is also increasingly booked as a race attendant at classic car rallies to "dress up" the classic cars before each new stage.
The best thing about Jean-Pierre's treatment - the surface treatment is long-lasting. It protects the paintwork for several years and makes it much easier for owners to look after their cars from now on.
Interview with Jean-Pierre
After the work was done, Jean-Pierre answered a few more questions about vehicles and paint care.
How do you conjure up the shine of days gone by from such "used" paintwork?
Well, first of all, it shouldn't be magic; it's our passion to help preserve and refine classic cars. It doesn't matter what condition they are in. To achieve the best possible results, we work exclusively with products from Globo, the oldest and most innovative car care brand in the world - but we are not restorers.
What do you mean by that?
More and more owners of classic cars don't want their classic car to look like new. Every vehicle has a history and a natural patina underlines this. The special features should be preserved, but the car should still be well-maintained and beautiful. We fulfill this task with passion, but also with a lot of experience and expertise, with every order.
How can I imagine this?
Imagine you own an antique wooden table. Now you put a glass top on it to protect it from water stains and scratches. Our "glass coating" works on the same principle. We call it the "sacrificial layer": It protects the original paint from UV rays and limescale marks and - this is very important to us - it retains its "rich" original color.
Does the glass coating also protect against scratches?
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as absolute protection against scratches. However, our coating is a good protection that reliably protects against most environmental influences and even minor improper "touches".
What is the most demanding part of your process?
Definitely the preparatory work. We plan our work steps meticulously down to the last detail in advance to ensure that our surface finishing - whether with or without glass coating - has the maximum effect.
After all, we want to offer our customers the best quality and therefore the very finest care products and the very best treatment for their automotive treasures in order to be able to fulfill all customer wishes. Remember, it is pure manual work that we do.
We have seen the convincing spontaneous handiwork on the Alfa, but not all surfaces can be saved, can they?
That is correct. We've been working on reviving painted surfaces by hand for over ten years now. And there have been one or two surprises with the compositions of historic paints that have come to light during manual work. Sometimes you have to tell the customer that the desired finish is unfortunately not achievable. Openness and honesty is our guiding principle.
Do you also offer your services outside Switzerland?
Yes, in addition to our Swiss location in Staad, we also have another branch in Germany. With our two locations, we can easily serve our customers in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Depending on customer requirements, we also work on site from time to time - throughout Europe, by the way, and often on high-quality boats in the Mediterranean region.
Thank you very much, Jean-Pierre, and good luck!
Further information about Globo and ProNax can be found on this website
