Dave Shuten grew up in a small town outside of Detroit, Michigan building go-karts and mini-bikes from parts salvaged in a nearby junkyard. He frequented the indoor car shows of the 1970s and idolized the works of legends like Ed Roth and George Barris. When he was 14 years old, he graduated from Hot Wheels and model cars and began building his first real car, a 1966 Chevy Impala SS. Dave spent 16 years as a toolmaker for GM, but continued to spend whatever time he had dedicated to building cars.
Then, in 2003, he decided to build a replica of Ed Roth’s iconic twin-engine Mysterion, which earned him his first cover on Rod & Custom magazine and launched his career as a builder and restorer of classic and custom cars. Dave began
working with Beau Boeckmann for the first time when he was asked to restore Ed Roth’s bubble-top Orbitron show car. In January 2010, he decided to move to California to work for Beau full-time and together they created the Galpin Speed Shop; an automotive laboratory perfectly fitted for a mad scientist to create and restore the most iconic hot rods and custom cars. While at Galpin, Dave has built several iconic hot rods including the Iron Orchid and a recreation of the classic “Grasshopper” and he has restored a number of classic cars including the Pink Panthermobile.
Dave is both a student and a steward of history and considers himself a purist in the strictest sense of the word. He believes in restoring cars to their former glories and keeping every part era specific, preserving the history of the vehicle.