Decades of Experience Restoring European Collector Cars...

Gian Paolo Dallara with his Lamborghini P400 Miura, 3165, restoration by Cairati.

Cairati Milano

Cairati Milano was established in Milan, Italy in 1986 and quickly set itself apart as the premier full service restoration shop in Italy for European collector vehicles-specializing in Italian super cars. In addition to being a premier restoration shop for Ferrari, Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo, Lancia and other Italian marques, as well as Porsche, Mercedes and other European manufacturers, Cairati also became the premier authorized third-party restoration shop for the Lamborghini factory in Sant-Agata, Italy. Through that relationship, Cairati Milano gained access to original factory engineering specifications and restored some of the most significant Lamborghini super cars, for important owner clients such as the designer of the Miura himself, Gian Paolo Dallara. Dallara's P400 Miura, 3165, restored by Cairati, eventually won top honors at the 2017 Salon Prive concours at Blenheim Palace, England.

Vince Finaldi, Massimo Cairati and Roberto Cairati, discussing Lamborghini Miura Restoration.

Why Open Cairati Monterey?

Throughout the years, countless potential customers from the United States and elsewhere have sought our expertise and concours restoration work, only to be thwarted by language issues, customs and duties charges, shipping expenses or other difficulties related to having a vehicle restored in Europe. These customers implored us to open a shop in the United States, stating there is a dearth of qualified shops in the United States that perform restoration work on European sports cars...especially Italian super cars. You asked and now we are answering. Cairati Monterey is our answer to this dilemma. We are opening this state-of-the-art restoration facility in the epicenter of the United States collector car world, the Monterey, California peninsula, and it will be staffed by many of the the same Italian artisans who have worked on these significant cars for years, in our shop in Milan. Cairati will, thus, be a full service restoration shop, allowing U.S. customers to benefit from our years of experience restoring and maintaining these vehicles, as well as our relationships with manufacturers and part suppliers where we have unique access to original factory engineering materials, parts and supplies, as well as technical expertise, setting us distinctly apart from every other restoration facility in the United States. Our goal is to provide superior restoration services to worthy clients in the U.S., such that they and their vehicles become lifetime members of the Cairati family.

Roberto Cairati

The origins of Cairati date back to 1986, when Roberto Cairati, a mechanical genius, following a decades-long career as a technician and later as a workshop manager at famed historical sports car workshops in Milan (first at Valsecchi, and then at Guarnieri), founded Cairati Milano, which specializes in the conservation, repair and restoration of vintage Italian sports cars. Roberto's experience with European sports car restoration includes all aspects of the process, including mechanics, body, paint and interior. Prior to forming Cairati, Roberto had the honor of maintaining and restoring some of the most significant Italian race cars based in Italy and Europe, including the famed Ferrari GTO, 250 SWB and TdF, 250 LM, 375 MM and 275 Competizione; the Lancia D24, D50 and Stratos; and the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale and TZ, and others. Roberto’s experience also includes a successful career in GTP class automobile racing with Porsche and BMW, and finally in a Bizzarrini BA4 which he himself developed and prepared, where he won the Italian Historic GTP Championship in 1992.

Roberto will remain based at Cairati Milano, in Italy, and will oversee the Italian parts, materials, supplies, tooling and technical support aspects of Cairati Monterey.

Massimo Cairati, owner and restorer of significant Lamborghini and Ferrari vehicles.

Massimo "Max" Cairati

Roberto's son Massimo ("Max") Cairati began racing go-karts at the age of three, quickly advancing though the classes to powerful “shifter” carts as a young teen. In 1996, he participated in the 108th course of the C.S.A.I. Federal School, acquiring the qualification to drive race cars over 2500cc. He then moved on to the sports car classes, eventually racing in the Renault Campus Championship in 1997, the Renault European Championships in 1999, and the French GT Championships in 2001, where he drove the TVR to the championship. To this day, he remains the youngest race driver of that model and the only one capable of taking it to victory. Massimo’s racing successes brought him to the attention of the Minardi F1 Team for an engagement in F1, which unfortunately did not proceed due to sponsorship issues. Massimo continued his racing career to two editions of the 24-hour Nurburgring and Spa races in 2003 and 2004.

However, eclipsing Massimo’s talent as a driver are his abilities as a sports car restorer, fabricator and team builder/leader. Massimo inherited his father’s mechanical genius and from a young age and progressively learned and mastered every aspect of automotive restoration from engine work to paint. Growing up alongside his father and mentor in the workshop, Massimo absorbed all of Roberto’s technical secrets, learning not to neglect anything-not even the smallest or seemingly insignificant detail-in the construction of an engine or car. One of Massimo's fondest childhood memories is traveling with his Father at a very young age to Livorno, Italy, where his father repaired the Ferrari 250 GTO of a very important client, at night while young Massimo slept in the car, only to be awoken when Roberto, finished with the repairs, had to test drive the GTO through the streets of Milan with young Massimo in the passenger seat.

In 1997, after graduating with a "Meccanico Motorista" degree from the prestigious Ferrari Technical School, in Maranello, Italy, where he learned everything from engine and mechanical design to chassis and suspension development and aerodynamics, Massimo formally joined Roberto as a partner at Cairati, to continue and grow the company. Through the years, Cairati has grown to become one of the most important and well-respected restoration shops in the world, performing all aspects of such work in-house, including metal fabrication, body and frame repair, mechanical restoration, interior, and electrical work. Additionally, the world-renowned team of artisans at Cairati, hand-selected and trained by Roberto and Massimo, are qualified to modify, engineer and even fabricate parts and systems that are no longer available.

Today, the technical leadership of Cairati is in the capable hands of Massimo, who at a very young age demonstrated extraordinary ability and genius in the area of sports car fabrication, development, design and use. Massimo’s extensive racing experience and abilities make him uniquely qualified as a test and development driver of sports and racing cars, both historic and contemporary.

Today, the culmination of Massimo’s extraordinary abilities and experience as a race and test driver, fabricator, and mechanic, as well as his business acumen and ability to select, train and lead a team of artisans, make him stand out as an extraordinary leader in his field of expertise. Massimo will be based in Monterey, California, and will head up the technical side of the restoration shop at Cairati Monterey.

Vince W. Finaldi

Vince W. Finaldi is a proud first-generation U.S. citizen whose father, himself a third-generation automotive technician, restorer and entrepreneur, emigrated to the U.S. from southern Italy in the 1960’s. Vince graduated high school in Southern California and served as an infantryman in the U.S. Marine Corps before being decorated, meritoriously promoted, and honorably discharged. Using the G.I. Bill, part-time employment and savings, he financed his higher education, graduating in 2002 with a Bachelor’s degree with honors from U.C. Berkeley, and a law degree from UCLA in 2005. From 2005 through 2023, Vince worked as a litigator and eventually partner at a national law firm, earning extensive accolades and substantial trial verdicts for his clients.

However, Vince grew up in the collector car industry and despite his professional success, his significant passion for European collector cars never waned. His father and uncles owned and operated several automotive body and mechanic shops in Illinois and the United States, where they repaired, imported, owned and sold important Italian collector vehicles. During this time, Vince was immersed in the collector car world, learning all aspects of the collector car market and restoration, including automotive metal, paint, mechanical, electrical work and restoration, as well as international acquisition and sales.

Several years ago, Vince became a client of Cairati Milano, having several significant Italian super cars shipped to their facility, restored, and returned to the U.S. During that time, he became intimately familiar with their process, as well as the excessive costs related to having a vehicle restored overseas. He also became very close personal friends with the Cariati's, and that is where the idea of Cairati Monterey was born-to allow owners in the U.S. access to the same high quality restoration services here in the U.S. without the expense and headaches related to restoring a car overseas.

Vince is an avid European vintage vehicle restorer and collector, owning several historically significant Ferrari, Lamborghini and other European collector automobiles, as well as an extensive collection of rare parts and automobilia. In addition, he is a California-licensed automobile dealer and routinely performs legal work regarding international automobile transactions.