By JESSICA BALANZA

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Working on Ferraris and Lamborghinis has been a part of Massimo Mondino’s life since he was 14.

As a teenager living in Boves, a small town in Italy, Mondino was recruited by his rally racing brother to be his mechanic. The trade stuck.

Now the Westchase resident owns his own business, The Auto Legend, Inc., 400 E. Douglas Road, Suite D, dedicated to maintaining and repairing the same Italian cars he learned about at a young age.

“Working on the everyday car is so boring,” said Mondino, 45. “This is more challenging and fun.”

Once his brother got him involved at 14, Mondino began an apprenticeship in Torrino, Italy, where he went to school and earned hands-on experience. By 18, he was working as a mechanic. Before he turned 20, he owned his first business, Dutto e Mondino.

When Mondino arrived in Los Angeles in 1987, he began working for a business. He moved around some before moving to Colorado where he opened up his own shop once again. Mondino Imports was his passion for about nine years.

He sold the business when he received a job offer he couldn’t refuse in Massachusetts. That position lasted only a year, he said, because of his dislike for the cold.

After that, he and his wife of 15 years, Leah, and two children Michelangelo, 14, and Gabriel, 11, have since made their home in Florida. They’ve been here for two years.

Mondino began The Auto Legend in Oldsmar about a year ago and has continued his trend of working with Italian cars.

“This location has worked out great,” said Mondino.

There are about 900 registered Ferraris in Florida, said Mondino. To keep himself busy, he sends out direct mailing and also acquires many of his customers through word-of-mouth advertising.

For Albert Andrion, a physician and Largo resident, having brought his car to Mondino made a difference.

He said his Ferrari was not working right and that he was going to get rid of it. Then he found out about The Auto Legend.

“I brought it to Massimo and he fixed it in 10 minutes,” said Andrion.

“These cars are like clothing, they are very personal,” Mondino said.

To keep himself up to date with the information on cars, Mondino said he reads lots of books and meets with other mechanics.

“Watching him, he has my absolute admiration,” said Leah. “He has the determination and persistence to diagnose and repair the problem. I’ve seen him design and create
his own tools to fix specific problems.”

He works on old and new models of these cars, and he occasionally works on other cars like Alfa Romeos, Mercedes and BMWs. However, his specialty is Italian cars.

“It’s a learning process that never stops,” said Mondino. “With every car, there is something new to learn.”

For more information, call Mondino at 814-4200.