Beverly Hill Motors

Classic Mercedes-Benz restoration in Houston, TX

Five decades with the W113 and W111

The restoration workshop of Kartèl Storage & Social

The Philosophy

Our philosophy is straightforward: return each car as closely as possible to its original factory condition. Where we depart from original, we do it deliberately — carefully selected improvements to the air conditioning, cooling, and ignition systems that make a car more usable in Texas heat without changing its character.

Most of the cars that come through the workshop belong to private collectors who expect the work to hold up under close inspection. That expectation suits us. Every decision, from a panel gap to a finish, is made against one reference: what left the factory.

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The Signature: Restoration of W113

Our signature work is the bare-metal restoration of the Mercedes-Benz W113 — the 230, 250, and 280SL.

Cars of this era were built differently.

Much of it was fitted and finished by hand, and the engineering was resolved to a standard that has not been repeated since.

We take the car to bare metal.

That is where the original work is visible, and where our restoration meets it. Every project is documented from first disassembly to final assembly.

We think of restoration as continuation rather than repair.

Picking up the original builders' work and carrying it forward. The same patience with the details. The right part, however long it takes to find.

The Record

Cars restored and preserved in this workshop have taken concours trophies and passed through Bring a Trailer, Gooding & Company, and Bonhams. Each one carrying its documentation with it. Some of these cars still check in with us. That, more than any listing, is the reference we care about.

Bring a Trailer

1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SL

This 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SL was restored by a Mercedes specialist over the past decade and is equipped with a 2.8L inline-six and 4-speed manual transmission...

On Bring a Trailer

Motoring Investments

1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SL

A 55,444 mile textbook Preservation Car, featured on episode no. 70 of Hagerty’s Barn Find Hunter featuring Tom Cotter...

On Motoring Investments

Bring a Trailer

1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SL

This 1970 is a fully-documented example that recently underwent an extensive mechanical and cosmetic restoration by its owner of 25 years. The factory 2.8L M130 inline-six was completely overhauled with a combination of new and refurbished components...

On Bring a Trailer

Bonhams

1969 Mercedes-Benz 280SL

With an exquisite restoration and all the right accessories and specifications in place, this European delivery 280SL is among the most desirable and finest examples we have been entrusted with...

At Bonhams

ClassicCars.com

1961 Mercedes-Benz 190SL

Recent Cosmetic & Thorough Mechanical Freshening (Over $12,000 Invested, at least $15k with labor). Major Service Performed by Marque Expert Gus Kidonakis of Beverly Hill Motors...

On ClassicCars.com

Gus and the Team

Gus Kidonakis has spent five decades restoring classic Mercedes-Benz. That experience shapes every project in the workshop, and the small team around him holds the same standard.

Meet the Team

Services

Classic Mercedes-Benz restoration, preservation, service, and repair.

Restoration — from targeted work to complete bare-metal projects.

Preservation — keeping original cars original.

Service and repair — for classics in regular use.

Core focus: Mercedes-Benz W113 and W111.

Three people standing next to a classic Mercedes-Benz in a car storage facility

Beverly Hill Motors and Kartèl

Beverly Hill Motors shares its home with Kartèl Storage & Social, near the Galleria. Cars in long-term restoration wait in climate-controlled bays, properly spaced. Cars in storage are looked after by the people who do this work. Each side of the building makes the other better at its job.

Kartèl Storage & Social

Inquire about a restoration

Tell us about the car— model, year, condition, and what you have in mind. We will come back to you with an honest read on the scope of the work.