About Us
See what drives us. Learn about The Little Speed Shop team and how the shop came to be.
The Little Speed Shop is Western, NY’s premier full-service automotive repair and race facility, dealership, storage facility and one stop shop for auto enthusiasts located in Rochester, New York with a remote location at Watkins Glen International. Our goal is to provide the highest quality service and a memorable client experience that is tailored to each individual.
The Little Speed Shop LLC was established in December 2010, by Kevin VanValkenburgh. Kevin was a BMW Master Technician for over 10 years, working at BMW Dealerships before deciding to branch off and start his own shop. Kevin started The Little Speed Shop because he wanted clients to be able to get the same level of service you would expect at a dealer at a reasonable rate. He also wanted to be able to provide an opportunity for local race/track enthusiasts to be able to pursue their driving ambitions. The Little Speed Shop is truly a family business, Kevin’s wife, Jillian started the shop with him 10 years ago and runs the show.
Since its inception, The Little Speed Shop has developed a strong presence in the European car repair market and has quickly become one of the top tier repair shops in the Rochester area. To provide this level of service TLSS employs factory trained technicians, uses top of the line equipment, and tries to go above and beyond. Relationships with clients are built on trust and our ability to understand deadlines and get the job done no matter what it takes. Learn about the services we provide.
On the track/race end of things the business has grown immensely in order to keep up with the growing demands of clients and influx of new clientele. The Little Speed Shop has become a “one stop shop” for race/track clientele. In addition to providing service and maintenance and performance parts for track and race cars, TLSS also provides clients transportation to and from track events, on-site track and race support (for individual clients and car clubs) , hospitality management, apparel, and a full service fabrication department. TLSS is a DOT Motor Carrier and our fleet has authority to operate for hire within the US and Canada. Check out our track services.
In 2017 The Little Speed Shop teamed up with Watkin’s Glen International. We have a retail store and service facility in the main paddock garages at Watkin's Glen International providing a full range of services to keep drivers on track during the many events throughout the season. Our shop is right on site in the garages where we have a retail store that sells necessities drivers and teams may need while at the racetrack: apparel, helmets, gloves, suits, refueling equipment, communication equipment, car specific parts and much more as well as a service facility where we can mount and balance tires, replace brakes, diagnostics, fluid flushes, brakes, etc. Check out The Little Speed Shop Race Shop at WGI.
The Little Speed Shop has expanded our operations to include pre-owned car sales. Our inventory is hand selected by our team of knowledgeable staff and must pass the high expectations of our service team before the vehicle can be considered for resale. This process gives our customers piece of mind and a worry free purchase, knowing they are investing in a quality vehicle. TLSS Inventory is curated for the enthusiast by enthusiasts. With a wide variety of hard to find BMW M cars, Porsches and other high end makes. Once the vehicles are in our possession the vehicles are assessed by out team of master technicians and held to the high standard we are accustomed to. Some vehicles will receive the TLSS Certification, which includes a rigorous revitalization to bring the car back to like new condition so the next owner can enjoy the car the way it was designed to be enjoyed, worry free and performing at its peak. Check out our used car inventory.
In addition to car sales, The Little Speed Shop is proud to be Rochester’s Ceramic Pro Elite Dealer. We are branching out to offer unparalleled automotive protection services for your vehicle. The Little Speed Shop has always been known for the top of the line parts, products and services we provide and recently TLSS has teamed up with Ceramic Pro and hired some of the best around to provide this level of services in the Automotive Protection realm. The Little Speed Shop now offers Automotive Protection Services including, Paint Protection Film, Ceramic Coating, Paint Correction and Detailing.
Last but not least The Little Speed Shop loves to get involved in our community and hosts events at our shop throughout the year. Most notable is Cars and Coffee Rochester, which was established about 10 years ago and has been going strong. Once a month on Saturday mornings we host a Car Show and meetup at our shop to bring together enthusiasts. It has grown to become quite an event and a staple in the Rochester car community. We also host an annual drive to WGI for Opening Day of Track Season. Check out our upcoming events.
Check out our online store where you can find TLSS merch and many items we carry in our WGI Race Shop.