By Brian Brennan & Dale Moreau – Photography By Dale Moreau
We learned of Steve Frisbie’s death on October 18, 2025 (1947-2025). He had been battling a long-term illness; and while many of us knew that time was limited, you are never truly prepared for that moment. Our industry is losing its early and well-known rodders and builders. Though Steve of Steve’s Auto Restorations in Portland, Oregon, was a mainstay on the West Coast, his builds were recognized nationwide.
He and his shop’s craftsmen were equally at home working on vintage sheetmetal from the 1920s or 1930s as they were with traditional hot rod projects—and even the world of sports cars didn’t escape his eye and talent. Whether it was a beautiful car or truck from the past, Steve’s Auto Restorations was a great place to start—and finish.
When it was time to recognize Steve, it was a tough task to begin, given his long and storied history—where does one even start? That’s where longtime Modern Rodding friend and author of many features and shop stories, freelancer Dale Moreau, came to our aid. Dale had known Steve for many decades, and the two shared both a strong friendship and a great professional relationship. I can’t recall any of Steve’s builds that I featured in MR or Street Rodder that didn’t come through the lens of one of Dale’s Brownie or Instamatic cameras. (Just kidding.) Moreau always had the latest from Steve’s shop on film, and the photos were always “just right.” What better way to honor Steve than to have his longtime friend provide us with this month’s Parting Shot on him and our friend Steve Frisbie. Here are a couple of links to the most recent MR stories about Steve and his builds. (https://bit.ly/4hsYXoN, https://bit.ly/3J4TiZn)
—Brian Brennan, Editor, Modern Rodding
“Steve Frisbie has left the building, and in his passing, I have lost not just a working relationship but a friend. In 1993, I received a call from David Brost, the designer and builder for Steve’s Auto Restorations. They were searching for a photographer to create feature stories about customer cars. I had been taking pictures and writing car features for several hot rod and custom car magazines at the time.
“That call began a relationship with Steve Frisbie that lasted over 30 years. Can you imagine how I felt when Steve delivered a maroon 1937 Cord 812 that belonged to actor Carroll O’Connor to the photo studio? I was in a trance walking over to it; sitting behind the wheel was mesmerizing.
“But Steve and his staff were about to start a new venture—building hot rods and custom cars. The first was a 1932 Ford roadster, of course, in red. That set everything in motion. As time went on, the finished cars Steve and his team built appeared in magazines. Being in the middle of all this, I had to pinch myself to confirm it was real.
“This exposure led Steve and his team to create a booth to showcase at major shows on the West Coast and later across the country. I was fortunate enough to attend many of those shows through Steve, meeting key figures in the industry. That all culminated in Steve’s Auto Restorations winning the coveted Ridler Award at the Detroit Autorama. Steve gave me the privilege of photographing some of the finest cars on the planet. Looking through the lens of my Hasselblad and witnessing those stunning images come to life, I felt like a kid in a candy store.
“I wouldn’t have achieved the career I have if Steve hadn’t made it happen. Now, looking forward, Steve has set up Steve’s Auto Restorations to continue his legacy far into the future.”
— Dale Moreau
MR
