Still Playing with HOT WHEELS

Longtime Gear Head Turns Avocation into a Vocation with Springfield Classic/Muscle Car Restoration Business

Story by Stephen Prudhomme  |  Photography by Leidy Lester

Steve Kanner has been fascinated with fast cars much of his life. He fueled that passion at a young age by playing with Hot Wheels.

Some 50 years later, Kanner is still “playing” with hot wheels. What’s different is he’s moved up to full-sized  cars and has turned his avocation into a vocation.

Kanner is the owner of Commando Customs & Classics, in Springfield. He and a staff of seven restore classic and muscle cars and build hot rods. The majority of the jobs involve a full build and take one to two years and cost $100,000-plus. They fired up for business in September 2024 after operating in Savannah and have been in overdrive ever since.

“Our customers are affluent,” Kanner said. “These are their toys. The majority are business owners. A lot of them are from out of state - Las Vegas, D.C., Florida…”

For example, Skot Butler shipped a 1978 International Harvester Scout II to Kanner’s shop in May 2021 that he had purchased sight unseen from a Texas farm. It wasn’t the ‘60s Ford Bronco he had longed for since childhood, but it was in the same parking lot and more affordable.

“Restoring these (‘60s Broncos) can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars today,” Butler said. “The Scout seemed like the next big thing.”

Butler said Kanner, his son and the rest of the crew agonized over the truck for the past three and a half years as they played whack-a-mole with one challenge after the other. There was the frame restoration, new metal fabrication, and searching around the country for random obsolete parts.

“Steve even hunted down another Scout to use as a parts car,” Butler said. “I know this is their business, but it is still impressive. Steve always worked his best to find deals and avoid unnecessary costs. The team was tireless and creative in solving every issue that arose. I can't wait to get my vehicle next month (April).”

The most popular cars Kanner and crew “restored” are Camaros and Chevelles - muscle cars from the ‘70s - putting in engines ranging from 800 to 1,000 horsepower (hp) that far exceed the original ones in power and adding the latest in technology and amenities.

The staff does everything in-house and features four technicians, a painter, body and upholstery person, and Kanner’s son, Daniel, who does welding and fabricating. Kanner said he plans on bringing in an audio guy to enhance their service.

Kanner has built multiple vehicles for Kurt Kalish, the owner of Asset Recovery Services LLC. The two men met when Kanner was a corporate Titlemax employee. Kanner helped Kalish build a personal work truck and 1984 Jeep J10 and overhauled a 1978 Ford150.

“They have always been honest, fair and do an amazing job transforming these vehicles into what each customer wants,” Kalish said. “Whether it’s a quick refresh or a frame off restoration, they always deliver.”

Another satisfied customer is Kirk Blaine, chef and owner of Castaways Cafe, in Savannah. Kanner restored Blaine’s first car, a 1965 GTO, and is doing a full build on his 1992 Ford Bronco, converting the latter into a full Desert Runner.

“Steve’s enthusiastic about each project,” Blaine said. “He really dives into special requests for his customers. He restored my GTO, replacing the old vacuum lines with a modern version and putting in LED lights instead of bulbs. It’s the first time the instrument panel worked. It’s a beautiful car. Steve really enjoys what he’s doing and is an asset to the community.”

M.D. Buck does insurance restoration work as owner of a Paul Davis franchise in Richmond Hill. He brought a 1969 GTX Sunfire to Commando Customs & Classics for extensive work on the engine, components and body. Kanner is doing similar work on a 1970 Roadrunner owned by Buck. Once that’s completed, Buck said, he’ll take another 1970 Roadrunner he owns to the shop and have the engine rebuilt and the body wet sanded and recreated.

“I have spent a small fortune on the GTX,” Buck said. “When I take it to shows it either gets best MOPAR or best of show. We always take home a trophy, and the class of work Commando does is part of the reason. I shopped around at other shops and found out Steve lived and breathed the classic car world. He will not let a car leave his shop if it is not right in his eye. Commando is the best car restoration shop in this area.”

Kanner’s road to his car restoration business started in Fort Lauderdale. Moving on from Hot Wheels, he raced BMX bikes and motorcycles as a teenager before building and racing cars and doing street racing. “I was a gear head,” Kanner said.

Gear head status did not equate to an income, however. After earning a BA degree in graphic design from Florida Atlantic University, Kanner got a job as a financial advisor. The money was good, but Kanner soon realized that would not be his lifetime vocation. “I never really loved being a financial advisor,” he said. “Cars are my passion.”

In 2014, Kanner and a racing friend acted on their mutual passion by selling racing apparel at racetracks. Two years later, they moved to Savannah and expanded the business by focusing on race cars.  In 2019, after splitting with his partner, Kanner brought on his son and operated the business in Garden City until the summer of 2024, when he bought his current place on Hwy. 21 in Springfield.

Daniel joined the business in 2020 after losing his job at Gulfstream during the pandemic. His father said he was only 20 years old at the time and quite green but needed to work. In five years, after teaching himself to weld after hours, Daniel has become of the most indispensable members of the team.

“He quickly became quite good and became our in-house fabrication expert,” Kanner said. “Over the last five years he has learned the business and has grown from being the boss’s son into my right-hand man and now handles most of the daily shop activities. He is by far one of the most talented fabricators in the area. With six full time employees and over 30 projects on site, there is no way I could manage our operation without him.”

Daniel said he grew up with his dad always working on hot rods in the garage and got hooked on cars. When he turned 16, Daniel and his father built a Chevy Blazer that was the former’s pride and joy through high school. He subsequently spent countless hours in the shop his dad opened when the younger Kanner was a high school sophomore. Daniel attended Georgia Southern for one year before deciding it wasn’t for him and got a job at Gulfstream. Laid off due to the pandemic, he joined his father at the shop, evoking memories of their shared time in the garage.

“Being fortunate enough to do what we love together as well as running the business together every day is a dream,” Daniel said. “We are extremely grateful for the support Effingham has shown us since our relocation to Springfield and are extremely excited to see what the future holds.”

Kanner said there’s nothing better than messing around with cars and doing it with his son, proving that money isn’t everything. “I made far more money as a financial advisor but wouldn’t go back for anything,” Kanner said. “It’s a dream. We have the best customers. I enjoy the power, sound and cool factor. We have the coolest cars. It’s just like picking up Hot Wheels. It’s hard to beat the nostalgic atmosphere on a daily basis. We friggin’ love this stuff.”

Kanner also loves giving back to the community. In 2008, he formed I.C.E. Car Club, a nonprofit group that holds an annual car show previously benefitting such local charities as Horses for the Handicapped, American Cancer Society, Save the Tatas, Oatland Island and Wounded Warriors on a rotating basis.

Since 2019, the show has benefitted the American Foundation For Suicide Prevention. That came following the suicide of Kanner’s younger brother in 2013 and the wife of a customer several years later. While Kanner didn’t speak publicly about his brother’s suicide, the customer gave details of his wife’s death and subsequent struggles online and received an outpouring of support, according to Kanner.

“I read hundreds of posts from people dealing with the same thing,” Kanner said. “I had no idea the devastation was so widespread. That’s when I decided to use this platform we have to raise awareness for suicide prevention and help others dealing and coping with the same tragedy that my family has had to deal with. We reached out to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and now have an Out of the Darkness event.”

The show will be moving to downtown Springfield and will feature live music, food, vendors and raffles. “The show has always been about giving back,” Kanner said.  ■