To call Don Marostica a car collector would be an understatement to the nth degree. This veteran, former state legislator and retired real estate developer is more aptly described as a passionate visionary with a flair for transforming antique, vintage, and classic cars into exceptional works of art.
He and his wife Carol, long-time Loveland residents, enjoy various art forms from flat art to bronze sculptures, with Don’s rolling art rounding out their collection. “They are art to me,” he says.
Don has always had a passion for cars. He grew up in rural Sterling, Colorado, (coincidentally nicknamed “A Colorado Treasure”) and remembers going to town and being amazed by all the cars. He’d walk down to the Cadillac dealership to look in awe at the beauty.
Over the past 20+ years, Don has accumulated a wealth of vehicles, each with a particular purpose and story that he can describe right down to the last nut and bolt. His eye for detail, passion for ingenuity, and real appreciation for beauty combine to transform his frame-off restoration projects into one-of-a-kind works of art.
Each of his 11 vehicles has been meticulously designed into something that stands out from the crowd. Don’s drive for originality has produced gorgeous vehicles accessorized with a heavy ‘wow-factor’ that is bound to catch any onlooker’s eye.
His 2005 custom Harley Davidson named “Baditude” isn’t too hard on the eyes either. The locally built bike is the one piece in his collection he enjoys taking out for a ride.
Things have clearly changed for Don since he drove an old 1950 Studebaker pickup truck on the farm. He now owns a beautiful 1954 model that is cleverly dressed in Moon hubcaps. It’s a pairing that people don’t expect to see - which is exactly what Don is going for…excellence beyond the norm.
Some people collect and restore cars for the thrill of the ride. Don does it for the thrill of the challenge, and as an avenue for engaging his visionary mind. “I can see stuff even before it’s built; I was that way in the development business also.”
Don is intrigued by finding “treasures” and engineering them into something really special. He had a 57 Chevy built for the model’s 50th anniversary that’s fitted with a 1994 Corvette chassis under it. The wheels are actual racing knockoffs made by Colorado Wheels. Don paid to have the only set made and the molds destroyed…and voila, one of a kind.
Disassembling a vehicle down to its frame and rebuilding it back to form is serious business. Don is the brains behind the design. All the workmanship is done by experts who pull everything off the vehicle and start over from scratch while Don looks on and learns.
He describes himself as having a perfectionist personality. “I have cars made with stainless steel bolts where every bolt is turned the exact same way,” he says.
He knows every tiny detail about each car and keeps meticulous records to prove it.
There isn’t a single scratch or dent on any of his cars. He jokes that that’s the difference between a one-foot car and a 20-foot car saying, “All of my cars look beautiful from one foot away!”
Don has always strived to be a ‘step-above’ in everything he’s done. That desire runs deep and is the momentum that drives him to do things that others might consider extreme or over the top like having parts specifically engineered to bring his vision to reality. That level of specialty makes going to extremes worthwhile to Don, even if it costs more or requires additional time and effort. His unique 57 Chevy build took three years to complete.
“I have a mind that wants to do everything a little differently.” He adds, “When someone looks at one of my cars they tend to say, ‘I've never seen anything like that!’”
And to Don, dear readers, that’s what it's all about.
