in 2023 the Piston Foundation engaged more donors, raised more money, and helped 23 students begin their classic car career and launched the Piston Academy apprenticeship program.

Franko Montoya had a budding interest in cars while in his teens, but his true passion for working on them didn’t surface until he began attending McPherson College, known for its outstanding car restoration curriculum. He didn’t realize that his passion could turn into a career. Today, at the age of 25, he is The Piston Foundation’s first Piston Academy apprentice.

Starting after high school as a history major in a community college in California, he bought a used Miata, found that drifting was a LOT of fun, was recommended by a friend to try out McPherson, then found a job with a racing shop, but he decided his passion lay in restoration cars, painting the classic cars. 

He continued to look for a job with a company where he could pursue his dream of working as a painter of classic cars. He was then offered a job at Paul Russell and Company in Essex, doing what he is passionate about, and applied for an apprenticeship with The Piston Foundation, and was accepted as the Piston Academy’s first apprentice.

The Piston Foundation awards grants to qualified candidates to provide financial support that allows an apprentice to develop their skills through on-the-job training in a full-time position at a Piston Academy-approved auto restoration shop. The goal is to help the young apprentices find the job, learn the trade, and continue the industry for another generation of restoring and maintaining the classic cars of museums and collectors

https://pistonfoundation.org/blog/franko-montoya-first-piston-apprentice/