OUR STORY
For over 20 years RELIC has hand built custom and restored turn-key vehicles for the most particular clients around the world. We can bring a family heirloom back to life or make a custom supercar fantasy come true.
Jeff Pate – Founder
RELIC (Originally Classic Cars of Houston) began in 2000 when Owner Jeff Pate was attending the University of Houston for business management after already restoring cars since childhood. Jeff knew he could take his passion for auto restoration to a professional level if he started his own business. What started as a humble two-man team and a modest size shop has grown to an astounding 30,000sqft factory with separate departments allowing for up to 80+ vehicles at a time to be restored at one location. Though now the founder and investor for several national brands and companies, Mr. Pate continues to be a driving force for RELIC!
Gabriel Semoudiaris – General Manager
Amazingly, Gabriel was first dropped off at RELIC by his father at the age of 13 to volunteer due to his passion for custom cars. With the exception of a 2-year stint in a corporate management gig, Gabe has spent his entire career with RELIC. Gabriel is skilled in Customer Service as well as being a task master when it comes to operations in our facility. He is as comfortable in the office as he is in the shop with his crew.
Matt Shutt – Shop Foreman
With 20+ years professional high performance and custom automotive experience, this School of Automotive Machinists graduate has the knowledge and leadership skills to oversee the many projects simultaneously being undertaken in the shop. As many of our employees Matt is a military veteran with extreme attention to detail and the drive to succeed at the highest level.
Jason Kotch – Graphic Specialist
Jason is our in-house graphic designer and videographer who keeps our clients up to date with photos and videos of their builds. His talents are also utilized in the design phase of custom builds allowing our customers to see variations of concepts from interior designs to exterior modifications and paint schemes. Jason’s videos are known throughout the car community as Gearhead Flicks with his stunning camera work and creative editing. Maybe your RELIC will be his next masterpiece!
