Bonafide Customs

Bonafide Customs, LLC is a hot rod, muscle car and classic truck dealer and service shop at 1253 Independence Dr in Napoleon, Ohio, in the northwest corner of the state. Its website says owners Toby Ernsberger and Jerry Borstelman started the business in 2018, driven by a long-running passion for hot rods, customization and horsepower. The company bills itself as a seller of hot rods, muscle cars and motorcycles, and it pairs its showroom with a body, paint and mechanical shop.

How the business works

Bonafide Customs sells vehicles from its own stock and also builds and services cars. Its About page invites visitors to "buy, sell or have your ride Bonafide," and it says the team has more than 200 years of combined experience in the auto body and mechanic trades. That is the company's own figure. Nothing on the site describes a consignment program, so sellers who want to place a car through the shop should ask what arrangement, if any, is available. The About page lists the two owners alongside a master technician, a body shop manager and a body shop technician, which suggests a small team that handles both sales and shop work under one roof.

What Bonafide Customs sells

The stock leans toward traditional hot rods and gassers rather than concours restorations. On October 2, 2026, the site listed 22 vehicles, with prices shown "plus sales tax." They included a 1955 Chevrolet gasser at $65,000, a 1940 Ford pickup with a flathead V8, a 1962 Pontiac Tempest with a 455 engine, a 1932 Ford pickup gasser, a 1964 and a 1972 Chevrolet El Camino, a 1956 Ford F100, a 1957 Buick Caballero wagon and several Corvettes. A 1941 Willys coupe was listed at $215,000, while a 1993 Corvette convertible was listed at $14,750, which gives a sense of the range. A separate page lists 88 sold vehicles, and an "available projects" page offers unfinished builds for home builders, such as a 1962 Impala project listed at $12,995 with a clear Ohio title. Prices and availability change often, so treat this list as a snapshot and confirm any car by phone before you travel.

Buying from Bonafide Customs

Because many buyers live far from Napoleon, the company says it will give prospective buyers a virtual walk around of a car by phone. Its home page also says it will arrange no-obligation transportation for out-of-town customers flying into Dayton, Toledo or Detroit Metro airports, and that it can arrange shipment or let buyers drive a car home the same day. Financing is offered through Collector Car Lending and Sherwood State Bank, according to the site's financing page. Before you commit to any remote purchase, get the VIN and title status in writing, ask for detailed photos and video, and consider an independent inspection. Our advice on what to check before you buy covers the basics.

Service, paint and parts

• Body and paint: the shop says it has an in-house Sikkens paint system and can mix and match custom colors.
• Mechanical and drive-line work: the company lists mechanical, drive-line, body and paint work for cars, motorcycles and other vehicles.
• Transmissions: it describes itself as an authorized reseller and installer of TREMEC transmissions.
• Projects: it offers parts ordering and paint help for builders who buy a project car.

The website also runs a small online shop selling branded apparel and accessories.

Reputation

Bonafide Customs is a newer business, with a start date of 2018 according to its own site. We could not find a Better Business Bureau profile for it, and we did not see verifiable star ratings from a review platform, so public review data is thin. That is common for smaller shops, and it makes direct questions, written condition reports and an independent inspection more important.

Visiting and contact

The shop is at 1253 Independence Dr, Napoleon, Ohio 43545, and the company lists a phone number of 419-591-1449. Its site gives sales and service hours of Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturday by appointment and closed on Sunday. Napoleon is a short drive from Toledo, Ohio and Fort Wayne, Indiana. If you want to compare what else is on the market, browse Ohio classic cars for sale.