Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 63

CLARKE COURIER
Restorations
By JILL DEVINE
ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT:
* Billy Thompson II is proud to see
tiny White Post finally listed on the
1984 Virginia Highway map.
*Billy Thompson II gives an auto
tour of local historic homes in 1983.
* Billy Thompson II hams it up with
television celebrity Willard Scott in
1989.
* Billy II, W.R. III and young Billy
Ray IV strike a pose with Uncle
Albert in front of the company's
restored 1931 Model A, circa 1987.
FAR LEFT: Billy Ray IV, Five and
W.R. III with the company's 1931
Model A shop truck.
LEFT: Five helps staff with quality
assurance inspections.
ull up at One Old Car Drive in
the tiny village of White Post,
Virginia, and you'll meet the
Thompson family, owners of
one of the largest and most elite
full-service antique car restoration
businesses in the country.
The last time we visited
White Post Restorations was
in September 1988, when
contributor Ross W. Simpson
introduced readers to
four generations of William
Raymond Thompsons (Billy,
Billy II, W.R. III and Billy Ray
IV), who have owned the
world-renowned
P
operation
since it opened in 1940 (read
that story at blueridgecountry.com/WhitePost).
At
that time, owner Billy II-a superstar
in the antique auto world who was
admired as much for his trademark handlebar
moustache as his meticulous restorations-had
just promoted his son, W.R.
III, from body shop technician to operations
manager. And we met W.R.'s threeyear-old
son, Billy Ray IV, who was eagerly
training, small sweep-broom in hand, to
be next in line for upper management.
Business was booming at White Post Restorations,
where clients with deep pockets
were taking numbers to get
in line for top-to-bottom
restorations that sometimes
took years, and hundreds
of thousands of dollars, to
complete.
Fast forward 33 years,
and the folks at White
Post Restorations are still
performing magic as they
painstakingly transform
historic heaps of rusty metal
into glossy award-winning
auto showstoppers for clients from around
the globe.
The shop itself hasn't changed much.
It's still a rambling maze of modest buildings
occupying more than an acre under
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 63

Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021

Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 3
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 4
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 5
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 6
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 7
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 8
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 9
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 10
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 11
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 12
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 13
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 14
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 15
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 16
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 17
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 18
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 19
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 20
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 21
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 22
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 23
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 24
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 25
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 26
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 27
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 28
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 29
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 30
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 31
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 32
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 33
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 34
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 35
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 36
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 37
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 38
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 39
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 40
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 41
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 42
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 43
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 44
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 45
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 46
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 47
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 48
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 49
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 50
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 51
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 52
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 53
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 54
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 55
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 56
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 57
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 58
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 59
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 60
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 61
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 62
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 63
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 64
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 65
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 66
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 67
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 68
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 69
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 70
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 71
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 72
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 73
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 74
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 75
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 76
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 77
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 78
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 79
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 80
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 81
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 82
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 83
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 84
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 85
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 86
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 87
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 88
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 89
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - 90
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2021 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/BlueRidgeCountryMarchApril2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-january-february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/BRCND21
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/BRCSO21
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brcja21
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2021_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2021_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2021_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_11_12
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20170102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20151112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20141112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20131112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20130910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20130708
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com