Globetrotting, adventure and custom classic cars. The CT business combines all three.

Best friends Charlie Narwold and Jason Doornick describe themselves as free spirits and the duo took different paths to co-founding Motoriot.

But both come from artistic backgrounds and have discovered there is a market for vintage, custom vehicles, and have combined to start Motoriot, in “downtown” Kent, a business in which they specialize in “classic car import and customization.”

The two have traveled to multiple continents in search of vehicles they can fully restore, and then have fixed them to their customer’s liking.

“The cars we build are showstoppers,” Narwold said. “We want to put our best put forward and that’s a little sexier…”

“For us this is a luxury experience,” he added. “We are going for the person who still wants a 4×4 adventure-based vehicle. We like that side of adventure. We are trying to cater to that customer.”

But Narwold and Doornick also both said they are proud that they can keep their costs low and offer prices starting at $80,000 to $100,000 with some going as high as $160,000. Narwold said similar companies start closer to $250,000.

The business has been collecting Land Rovers, some older than both of the owners, as well as other models and makes.

“This has now grown into a full blown operation where we now are planting bases in major countries around the world that can help us source, restore and import our newfound Land Rovers, Land Cruisers, Mercedes G-Wagons and other vintage cars,” Doornick said.

Traveling men

The two men became friends in 2008. Doornick, 35, grew up in Kent. He’s a Housatonic Regional graduate and ended up heading to California where he earned a degree in music composition and sound design at the California Institute of the Arts.

“I grew up with two artistic parents — my dad with robotics and my mom with painting and I did a lot of traveling at a young age and my experience in California brought that to my life. But I later found out studying music was not for me. But I soon learned who I was,” Doornick said.

Cars became his passion and was amplified when had the chance to work with actor Paul Walker of “Fast and the Furious” fame.

Then, after he moved back to the East Coast, he took over his family business from his father called International Robotics. He moved it from Larchmont, N.Y. to Stamford. Meanwhile, he started Doornick Driven Car Restoration in the same location.

“I was living on the floor of my office for two or three years and saved up my money,” Doornick said. “I went from a difficult two-and-a-half years to managing 30 clients and payroll. I learned how to run a business. My experienced in Driven helped build Motoriot at the beginning. Now a year-and-a-half later we can afford our own location in Kent.”

“Charlie and I share an undying love for adventure, new experiences and do not yield to the unknown,” Doornick said. “We will step into the water regardless of how hot or cold it is. We are ready and willing to wade the waters of exploration to connect the rest of the world, to the US, with the history and passion of what we do.”

Narwold, 36, grew up in West Hartford and now lives in New York City. He’s a 2006 Kingswood-Oxford graduate and ended up at the Tisch School of the Arts New York University.

Narwold spent his 20’s as a guitarist with The Drums, an indie rock band. That experience allowed him to tour the world but the fame came with a price.

“We were in places I never thought I would visit,” Narwold said. “At the end of the day. I was a total mess inside. Every time I got back to my hotel room after the show. I was alone with my thoughts, and it was not great.”

“Seven years ago, I became completely sober from drugs and alcohol,” Narwold said. “My entire 20s was of addiction and for me 2017 was the like starting my life all over again. I was 29 and sober and I didn’t know who I was anymore. I slowly built back brick by brick.”

Narwold turned to real estate, where he spent the bulk of his time investing, developing, designing, and operating investment properties in New York City and in Los Angeles. Eventually, he teamed up with Doornick.

“Now being able to throw myself into Motoriot over the last couple of years – I have a new lease on life and to do this with a best friend has been so fulfilling,” Narwold said.

“I toured the world with music, and I never thought it would happen again,” he said. “Now we travel together to Guatemala, Ecuador, England, Spain and so many other places. It’s like being on tour without the drugs and alcohol. It’s come full circle.”

The globe trotters are in search diamonds in the rough, especially Land Rovers, and Spain has been fertile ground for them.

The first trip to Spain the friends took was in 2021. Doornick was heading there for to find some cars to buy and ship to the U.S. for a profit. He was looking for old farm trucks with low milage. Spain has less moisture and humidity than other climates.

“I was looking to see how I could fit in. So, I said I wanted to come film him and document the trip as two friends traveling around the world to find classic cars,” Narwold said. “We got to Spain, and we ended up buying three or four cars. Then we had to figure out the logistics of getting the cars back home.”

“We shot the pilot for a TV show and it sucked, but the beautiful thing was maybe the pilot didn’t work out but there was still an opportunity here for business,” he said. “We can customize these cars and offer a unique experience that no one else was doing.”

The duo became an official LLC this past October.

Doornick said the goal is to educate potential customers on what they offer and to be completely transparent with their services.

“We love traveling and immersing each other into different cultures and we want to create a brand that encompasses all of that,” Doornick said. “We want to make stuff that’s more affordable. A lot of people are offering what we are doing at three times the price and we don’t want people to think they are being” (cheated).

After starting in Kent, the goal is to have a location in every big city in the country. The plan is to have 600- to 800-square-foot buildings with just one car. Narwold said most buyers research the cars they are interested in online and there is no need for big real estate.

“A lot of our competitors are coming in with hedge-fund backing and it’s been difficult for us to climb this ladder,” Doornick said. “But we are creating competition for them. We are putting our feet in the water, and this is possible. We want to achieve this, and we are going to do it with a more affordable price point for our customers. We are saving money by doing the restoration overseas.”

Doornick said there are three other similar businesses in the state and about 12 recognized brands across the country.

“I slept on my floor for three years and it’s gotten me to a point where my dreams will come true,” Doornick said. “Without Charlie I wouldn’t be able to do this. He realized the brand image. He wanted to create a brand and support what we do. He’s been a dream to work with and I couldn’t ask for a better partner.”

The business is open in Kent on Mondays through Wednesday’s from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. It’s appointment only otherwise. The business is at 21 Bridge St. Or visit, https://motoriot.io/