Bill Strachman (owner of Allston Custom Garage)

Bill started fixing bicycles at age 12.  While in college, he bought his first Honda motorcycle and earned money for college by working for a Honda Motorcycle dealer.

After college, and a brief stint at teaching, he returned to the motorcycle industry as head mechanic and service manager at dealers around Boston, where he got the racing bug and raced motorcycles for several years.  After 10 years with motorcycles, he met John Sharrigan (Shag) who was a brilliant car mechanic, fabricator, and sports & drag car racer.

Motorcycles started to look old hat, so he temporarily went to work for Shag at Speedway Custom Garage in Allston, MA.  This temporary job turned into a 20-year job and love affair of all things mechanical.  Ralph Bannister, one of the founding fathers of drag and stock car racing, joined the team soon afterwards.  Speedway Custom specialized in English cars (especially Rolls Royce, Bentley and Jaguar) but was equally proficient with German and Italian cars.  Hot rods and antique cars were also at home at speedway.  Shag and Ralph are gone now, but their knowledge and love of cars still lives on with Bill.

Bill loves interesting work and takes on projects that most won’t touch.  Bill says after 40 years as a mechanic, “I’d probably make more money fixing everyday cars but I’d be bored to death.”  

Allston Custom Garage embodies old time mechanical knowledge and skills with modern use of scanners and diagnostic equipment.  We get the cars no one else can or has the patience to fix.  Drop by or call; we always have interesting cars on hand.

Paul Makadon Senior

Born in Austria, he came to the US in 1956 when he was 8 years old.  Kemon Makadon, Paul’s father, brought to America a vast knowledge of mechanics and German cars.  He was one of the finest and most knowledgeable foreign car mechanics anywhere.  Paul started working with his father at age 12, and has worked on German cars ever since.

Today, at age 59, Paul, like his father, is one of the most capable German car mechanics anywhere.  

Paulie Makadon

Paul’s son started changing oil at 7 years old.  Like Paul Senior, he has learned from his father and grandfather.  At the age of 29, he is more knowledgeable about automobiles than most mechanics twice his age.