Meet Rick Deiters of Trans Am Specialties of Florida

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rick Deiters.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
1977 brought many new faces, places, and scenes to the American pop culture. Jimmy Carter would become the 39th President of the United States as the “gas crunch” would continue on. The Rock & Roll pioneer Elvis Presley dies in Memphis. (Or did he?)

Hollywood would release a variety of movies which would change the American landscape including, Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, George Lucas’ classic Star Wars, and the disco-crazed Saturday Night Fever. One flick that would change not only the future for American muscle car owners but also mold generations to come was the big screen release of Smokey and the Bandit, the “Bandit”, and “Snowman” would become era based icons. This would define the careers of both Burt Reynolds, Jerry Reed, while also bringing Sally Field into the limelight as more than just “Gidjet”.

I was 11 years old back in 77 and since then I have also shared the love of the Trans Am. The obsession with the S/E TA is the primary reason that has made Trans Am Specialties possible. Personally, after collecting Trans Ams for years the idea of restoring Trans Ams for other collectors was inevitable, hence Trans Am Specialties of Florida was created.

Nowadays, we are among, if not the most recognized Trans Am in the US, perhaps the world, all product of a childhood dream, passion determination and consistency.

If you have a dream, we can build it.

We specialize in the restoration of many 1970 – 1981 Trans Ams and can build one to fit your budget! Whether you want a matching #’s true Special Edition Trans Am (Bandit or Pace Car Edition) or simply want a high-quality cruise night or show quality clone we can make your childhood dreams come true! You have daydreamed long enough! The time has come to spoil your self with 300 pavement pounding horsepower, or perhaps more, we can do it!. So take off the t-tops and prepare to be amazed when Trans Am Specialties builds the car of your dreams!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Nothing is easy in life, especially if you are an immigrant. As you must know Miami is a melting pot of cultures and one of the most attractive destinations for people with hopes, dreams and ambition, that’s why I moved here almost 20 years ago. To be honest I didn’t have in mind nor even imagine that we would become such the iconic company in the Pontiac Trans Am sub-culture.

Roadblocks? struggles? well yeah, car restoration is far from easy, is kind of an art, there are many things that are kind of hard like find the right people to work with, which is a mix of luck and timing, I told people when we started this venture that I would run a shop to restore exclusively classic Pontiac Trans Ams,…they said I was crazy, that was a bad idea and very difficult to sustain the operation of a shop just dedicated to a extinct car (the car wasn’t even considered collectible back then). many said there was not enough market to fill up a shop with work, etc. well in my mind I thought the opposite, or even better, I always believed that there were other guys like me out there hoping to find a specialized shop in that particular car, which by the way no one was apparently interested in doing but me. I was really convinced that that was precisely an advantage and not an obstacle.

Another thing that was kind of a challenge for me was to learn how to make a website and manage it ( in the early 2000’s wasn’t as easy as is today). Also getting parts for 40-year-old cars was a challenge.

I can say that in general, the whole experience of creating and growing a business like ours has been more satisfying than painful. Coming to work every day is like a kid going to a candy store.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
We specialize and focus on 3 things:

– Restoration of classic Bandit Trans Ams
-Sales of classic and new Trans Ams and other classic muscle cars
-Sales of auto parts for this type of cars

What set us apart from others are several key things:

-Knowledge: we know this car very well, every detail, defect, you name it, we know about it.
-Honesty: we present our products according to it’s real condition, we price our items accordingly.
-Dedication: we start and finish every project.
-Communication; we keep our customers informed about what’s been done and what we plan to do with their cars, we keep our operation under control so we can deliver results as planned.

About what we are proud of: we are proud of being recognized and respected by others as one of the leaders in this particular niche business.

What were you like growing up?
Always liked TV, sports, science and cars as a kid, grew up in a family a bit different (my parents are from Germany and Italy). Grew up in Venezuela but spent a great amount of time Europe and US as a kid, as a result, learned to Speak fluently 3 languages.

Personality wise, I am a very happy person, I am outgoing, I take risks, I am responsible for what I do, I don’t like excuses.

Friendship is one of the highest valuable things for me. I am emotionally stable, love my wife and kids more than anything…my cars are close too. I am a bit cheesy if you will, ask my family.

There are few things I really dislike:

-Terrorism
-insecure people
-people that are distracted
-use of animals that end being killed in a sport like in the “corrida de toros” that is popular in many countries

Contact Info:

• Address: 13901 SW 142nd Avenue Miami, Fl 33186
• Website: www.transamflorida.com
• Phone: 305.412.5000
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: transamspecialties
• Facebook: trans am Florida
• Twitter: @taspecialties

Image Credit:
Rick Deiters

Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.