All About Us...

Lanzini Body Works was established in 1993 by Mitch and Tara Lanzini, an adventure fueled by a shared obsession with all things automotive.

Mitch showed signs of his auto future in early childhood while growing up in Whittier, California. Like most young boys, Mitch discovered the world of Matchbox and Hot Wheels toy cars. But unlike his friends who played with their cars until they practically fell apart, Mitch was usually found cleaning and buffing his collection only to display it on every open space he could find. By his teen years, Mitch graduated to bigger toys by hanging out and learning from other friends who worked at various auto shops around town. By 14, Mitch bought a repossessed basket case of a Yamaha 80cc which he rebuilt and had back on the road within three weeks, promptly earning him (the son of LA County Sheriff’s Sergeant, Lee Lanzini) his first ticket - for driving without a license. Mitch then bought a Yamaha Mini-Enduro bike that he quickly turned into a custom flames creation that was so popular, it was stolen from his locked garage within six months. After various other custom projects along the way, he then embarked on converting his brand new stock Datsun pick-up truck into a customized “walk-through” that was so beautiful, it made the cover (his first) of Mini-Truck magazine in 1982.

Mitch also picked up the guitar during these years, beginning a similar, life-long passion with music. When he wasn’t found working on cars in various garages around town, he was usually found banging on guitars in various clubs throughout Hollywood. But no matter whether he was creating music with his friends, or cruising up and down the famous Whittier Blvd. in his customized creations, it was obvious early on that Mitch Lanzini was a multi-talented creative force to be reckoned with.

Tara’s auto interests began in childhood as well, but on the opposite side of the country - in Orlando, Florida. Known then as Tara Turner, daughter of Marsha Best and Dane Turner, owners of a semi-pro football team and die-hard sports and racing enthusiasts, Tara spent much of her early years either at the Tangerine Bowl or Daytona Speedway, hanging with her family and the likes of Steve Spurrier and Richard Petty. By the time she was a teenager, Tara’s own love of sports and racing often found her in the water either on a boat or a board, or cruising and racing up and down the famous Florida coastline in anything she and her friends could find, which helped earn her a few tickets of her own.

Tara also developed a great love of writing and photography during these years and got her first works published in Sassy magazine at the age of 19. After leaving Florida (and her college years at LSU) behind, Tara then started traveling around the U.S, stopping for awhile in Boston, MA where she landed her first dream job as an editor for The Exceptional Parent magazine. After several other stops and starts along the way, she eventually found her way to southern California and her second dream job at the Subaru Tech Center where she emersed herself in the company's racing and engineering programs. Two years to the day after arriving in California, she met Mitch and after several more years in their respective careers, they decided to create their own dream jobs through the creation of their company, Lanzini Body Works.

Today, Mitch and Tara continue to cultivate their mutual passion for all things automotive in every aspect of their company and their lives. Lanzini Body Works has painted everything from Indy cars to pedal cars, and worked with the likes of Jimmie Johnson, Rod Millen, Christopher Titus, Chip Foose, G&L Guitars, TRD, and Honda Racing. They are often featured on TLC’s auto make-over show Overhaulin’, been published in numerous magazines and books, won many coveted show awards, and some paint works have even been turned into collectible toys cars by Hot Wheels, Jada Toys and Full Throttle - something Mitch, still a passionate collector, is most proud of.

Like the fast paced world of their company, Mitch and Tara show no signs of slowing down, even though they're often found still just cruising around - either in their ’32 Zipper Roadster (Rod & Custom's "100 Most Beautiful") or in anything else Mitch can tinker with and make go. Their family is usually hanging out with them, especially their nine year old son, Lee - either with his own ’32 Roadster pedal car, or on his Honda CRF-50 dirt bike.

Like all good things, the Lanzini’s just keep on cruising.......