Interested from birth in anything with wheels, Jim developed a love of mechanical devices that became a lifetime love affair with automobiles and their designs. As a young boy in Houston, Texas, he started drawing cars and went on to a GM sponsored mechanics program, a formal 3-year apprenticeship in European cars and a further 2-year Ferrari apprenticeship. He has had his own business restoring and repairing high-end sports cars since 1975, primarily specializing in high-end classic Italian and Japanese automobiles. Having held his first job as a mechanic at the age of 13, Jim now has half a century of experience with cars of diverse makes and origins.