How does one become an exotic car mechanic?

After being at Road America and not being able to swing a dead cat without hitting a Ferrari/Lambo/Aston I started to wonder, who fixes these things? Does one just apply at a Ferrari dealership with their ASE certificate and hope they get sent to Maranello to learn how to do a timing belt on a 599?

I have no desire to cater to the rich and powerful, just wondering how it comes about.

Ferrari chat Interesting discussion on becoming a ferrari tech.

Charge a lot, rich people find you.

I got lucky. I worked on F430 Challenge Cars after working with some of the mechanics on another race team.

"Its not what you know, its who you know"

I also interviewed for a position as a service Writer for a Ferrari Dealer...turned it down. Don't think just becuase you are working on exotics it pays well or treats you well.

However, I loved my time with the Ferrari Challenge Team.

dblpost

how does one become an exotic car mechanic?

Own one

Play Whitesnake very loud, serve watered down drinks, and work in a thong.

I've done home loans for a number of BMW techs and I can tell you that BMW techs make a heck of a lot more money than the Ford, Mazda or Chebby techs. We've done loans for all.

Never done a loan for a true exotic mechanic so I couldn't swear they made even more, but I'm guessing they do based upon the posts of the Ferrari/Lambo/Aston techs on one of the forums here.

Get a reputation for solid, meticulous work, and have no fear of working on strange vehicles. Then word of mouth will bring them to you.

BMWs aren't "exotic" but IIRC there is a BMW training center that you can enter (costs about as much as college tuition) but you get a guaranteed position after graduation. So, they aren't exactly hiring off the street.

Me, I can't stand dealership work. It pays (very) well but it is soul-sucking.

Define "exotic"

I would imagine most people on this board can spin wrenches on a LeCar or a 6.5 Turbo Diesel.

"Exotic": Costing more than your annual income.

kb58 wrote: "Exotic": Costing more than your annual income.

I work on Land Rovers. Not exotic really but this year alone we sold 4 at around $125k so not cheap either. Before that it was VWs and Hondas. Pay is higher than "normal" car lines in some parts of the country, the same in others. What you gain in your pay rate you often lose in having to go that extra mile for outstanding service. Not sure about the factory authorized dealers but most independent "exotic" shops pay less than an average dealership. The guys that work there do it because they love it, not because it pays well. Same with many Hot Rod shops. If the shop supports race cars than the hours can suck as well.

Some of the tech schools (UTI, Wyotech, et cetera) offer add-on classes for specific brands. The UTI Ford program can lead to Jaguar, if one does well enough.

If being an exotic car mechanic is anything like being an exotic dancer, it is all about having the proper qualifications.

I have a buddy that is one. I'll see if i can get ahold of him and see what he says. Interesting hearing him tell me stories about working on Ferraris, Lambos, high end Porsches, even a Zonda once.

What I would rather know is how you get to make aftermarket parts for exotics. Some of these exhaust systems I see going into Porsches and Ferraris are just awful quality, though highly polished, and sell for several thousand dollars. I feel like there would be more money in it than making high quality turbo manifolds for imports.

carguy123 wrote: I've done home loans for a number of BMW techs and I can tell you that BMW techs make a heck of a lot more money than the Ford, Mazda or Chebby techs.

Showing this to my boss now...

apparently it is as easy as handing someone your resume...guy I work with was a porsche tech for 5 years in the Atlanta area. He said after he got out of school, he worked at a Infiniti dealer for a year before he got tired of his bosses. He then went on his lunch break to a porsche dealer and handed his resume to the manager on duty. Interviewed right then and there, and started 14 days later.

"I got lucky. I worked on F430 Challenge Cars after working with some of the mechanics on another race team.

"Its not what you know, its who you know"

I also interviewed for a position as a service Writ"er for a Ferrari Dealer...turned it down. Don't think just becuase you are working on exotics it pays well or treats you well.

However, I loved my time with the Ferrari Challenge Team"

I agree with this post, be careful what you wish for. i would say a lot of us do this job for the love of the cars as much as anything else. You probably wont get rich enough to afford one if you choose this path.
Working in a race setting is not glamorous, its hot, sweaty, stupid long hours (especially after your driver balls up the car) putting the car together. think of it like "orange county choppers" you work at what most people would call a fast pace almost all the time and then about two days before the race you go in 'Warp factor 9" when your time and your life are not your they belong to the team/car. having an exotic service buisiness is not much easier (think of this most of your client will have gotten stupidly rich by being ruthless business people, Do you think they view you any different than they view any of thee other business ventures? most likely not) you will be consistently under the gun for time and for money. If you love the cars you have no choice but to follow your heart but think real hard about it.

kb58 wrote: "Exotic": Costing more than your annual income.

By that measure, most Kias are "exotic".

I went to the shop of one of this country's premier Citroen restorers to talk shop and try and fab up a set of his extra DCNFs onto an old Opel racing manifold. We met at an autocross, me in an Opel and him in a Maserati.

After a couple hours of great conversation I got a standing job offer as a mechanic. You never know who you're going to know, and how you're going to meet them.