101-Year-Old Connecticut Repair Shop Flooded With Vintage Volkswagen Vehicles

A 101-year-old auto repair shop in Greenwich, Connecticut, is one of a handful of businesses in the region with the training to service older Volkswagen vehicles—and it’s been keeping them plenty busy.

According to Robb Report, Freccia Bros Garage was first opened in 1922 by the Freccias when they immigrated to America. First servicing carriages, the shop began working on Volkswagens in the ‘60s, when Volkswagen vehicles filled the town.

Now ran by Frank Freccia III, he’s the fifth generation in the family to take over, with the sixth generation being represented by his daughter, Guinevere, who runs the shop with him.

“When I was a kid there’d be five Bugs at this light, Squarebacks at that light. It looked like those pictures from Brazil,” he said. “There were five or six guys who ran shops out of their driveways. Bugs only!”

What keeps the shop so busy these days is the large number of Volkswagens drivers have bought online or from an auction, only to realize there was only trouble underneath the hood. From a car with no brakes, to cracked transmission cases and floor panels kept in place with silicone, Frank has seen it all. 

People continue to return to him because no other shop in the region holds the expertise he does, passed down through generations. They’ve had many customers who sought repairs at other shops, only to wind up in Freccia’s shop with more problems to solve.

“A whole generation of old VW mechanics has died off,” said Frank.

Freccia Bros Garage has become synonymous in the area with vintage Volkswagen repairs. They see these vehicles come in on a weekly basis, and have a months-long waiting list—largely because these vehicles tend to have more problems than the owner initially realized.

“It’s like bringing your kid to the doctor. They’ll say, ‘This is Lola please take care of her,’” shared Guinevere. “We get people who come in for 40 years. They come the same day every year.”