Ignition Service
I began my apprenticeship in Italian car service at Prevedello's Auto Repair in San Jose, California in 1973. Prevedello's was
the only service agency for Ferrari at the time in San Jose and serviced Lamborghini, Maserati and Alfa Romeo as well. This was, in
many ways, a golden era for young mechanics as Ferrari Daytonas were brand new and what are now classic Lamborghinis and Maseratis
were used as a training ground for the new apprentices.
Over the years I have owned several shops and have worked in many European
repair shops including Ferrari of Los Gatos in 1977 and '78, and again in 1989. In 1987 I worked for Anton Krivanek's Vintage Racing
Service which specialized in the restoration of Fiat 8V motors and chassis. Working for Anton was a tremendous education in very limited
production Italian Exotics. This was the era when Italian cars began to skyrocket in value, and we saw some very exotic equipment
come through the shop in that era.
Motor racing is something I have always enjoyed and I crewed for an SCCA Alfa Romeo racer for over
ten years, and have always supported vintage racers and their cars at many different levels.
I drove my own Ferrari 250 GTE for 13
years and was also the technical editor for the 250 GTE newsletter for 20 years. During that period I wrote numerous technical articles
for the club on the subject of service and restoration.
Over the the last few years I have published six technical articles
and concours reviews in the Ferrari Market Letter, and will continue to write for them in future years.
I have
a long standing passion for motorcyles and have been the chief judge and display co-ordinator for the Avila Beach Concours for
the last two years, and was on the Pebble Beach Selection Commtee for the Italian motorcycle display for 2011.
I have always
had a talent for electrical work and a gift for tuning and this is why I have chosen to specialize in Magneti Marelli distributor
calibration and repair. Many years ago I realized that these units are at the very heart of good 12 cylinder performance and began
a serious study of their repair and maintenance.
Early on I learned the value of formal education and I have six years of University
level education with an emphasis on engineering and Industrial Design.
I have always had a strong passion for Italian cars, and
I look forward to sharing my skills and knowledge with you.
Tom Meadows in 1987 with an OSCA MT4 chassis at Anton Krivanek's Vintage Racing Service in Van Nuys, California