The Seaside Garage
Seaside Garage is one of our favorite places. Based in Denmark, host Seppo restores cars with a quiet patience and attention that feels almost meditative—part how-to, part time capsule, part love letter to machinery. His videos remind us that working on cars is a form of expression, rooted in a deeply personal bond between human and machine.
We spoke with Seppo about his life with cars — from daring road trips to the quiet joy of restoration — and the stories behind the garage.
How did you learn to drive?
I learned to drive in a Golf Mk4 GTI back in 2005.
Funnily enough, cars was not my thing back then, and I pretty much just took the driver's license test because I lived so far away from school and education and so on—but the experience changed me! I got really interested in working in harmony with the car, feeling the revs and matching the gear changes and so on and in the end I experienced what I think drives most of us petrol heads: the feeling of total freedom! I can drive in whatever direction I want!
What was the first car you ever drove?
Ford Fiesta Mk1! Or not really…
Me and a friend got this battered up Fiesta back in the late 90s and we were allowed to drive in on our local field! Unfortunately my friend was the first one to have a go, and he burned the clutch up in no time (we had no idea what we were doing). I was so devastated! And my friend felt so bad that he offered to push me around in it! First real drive was the driving school Golf Mk4.
What was the first car you owned?
Citroen ZX 1.8 Furio from around 1992. Unfortunately my mechanical empathy was not fully developed and I did not know the importance of letting an engine get up to temperature* before flooring it… young and stupid and a few weeks later, the crankshaft snapped!
“A car that is not used is just a very heavy paperweight.”
Did you start to work on cars out of necessity, or curiosity, or both?
I was really struck by the feeling of freedom when I got my first car... I could go anywhere! But then the front brake caliper started to bind up leaving the car stranded every time I pressed the pedal hard. I HAD to learn how to fix it if I wanted to keep my new freedom. I had no money, and knew no one with a garage. Luckily my good friend knew a lot and helped me do the first fixes on the sidewalk… and it evolved from there to where I am today. I think now, I am driven by curiosity AND the pure magical feeling of starting an engine up for the first time in 20+ years or similar. I feel like Gandalf every single time it happens!
This was the first mechanical success I had which really gave me a “I can do this!” moment. And this has fueled me ever since.
Riskiest thing you ever did in a car?
I did drive my Saab 900 Turbo 16 through 10 countries; 3000km in 5 days with 5 people AND luggage in the car! It seemed risky! But being a Saab, all that happened was a noisy throwout bearing in Dresden and slightly overheated brakes in the mountains of northern Italy.
What inspired this adventure?
This was the first Danish edition of Carbage Run—a rally* through a lot of countries, parties at night (new country every day) and old cars. It was summer of 2015 and it went through Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Italy, and Deutschland.
*The Carbage Run, The ultimate Road Trip in an old piece of junk.
What was the last car that made you sad?
I gave up on a S123 Mercedes 300TD a few years back. It just fell apart and was so bad that I could not see the end of the rot. And it hurts me to scrap cars... but this one is now probably cutlery somewhere. It’s sad.
Have you ever been nervous driving a car?
I drove a Polo G40 that I was test driving to potentially buy—it caught fire shortly. That was not a great experience!
What is your pre road trip ritual?
I always visualise the most likely problems with the car, and plan accordingly... then I forget everything when it's time to go and if I'm lucky, there is a screwdriver in the glove compartment. What I have fixed on the side of the road with the wrong tools? I could write a book about!
What are your favorite road trip snacks?
Grilled sandwich and coffee latte!
Memorable road trip?
Many many... Lately a drive in my new to me Panda 4x4 Nuova* from 1985. This was actually not a road trip but a collection caper—I went to the city of Copenhagen to pick it up and drive it home. I only saw a picture of it and did not know what to expect other then the seller told me that it could start. It’s always exciting to drive a car for the first time, and with a couple of hundred kilometers to get back home it feels slightly epic–every single time.
*A very rare edition of the famous Panda 4x4—likely the most desired version.
What’s the best advice anyone has ever given you about cars?
A car that is not used, is just a very heavy paperweight. Not sure this translates, but in short it means a car is meant to be used, not stored away.
What is your favorite exterior car color?
Hmmm… I have no idea! I am not much into colors actually!
How many cars have you owned?
Haha! One million? I really don’t know… 100 maybe?
Which of your cars is your absolute favorite?
Lancia A112 Abarth.
Name your top five cars:
Lancia Delta HF Integrale.
Citröen AX Sport.
2CV.
Lotus Esprit.
Lancia Montecarlo
A French camper van and a Danish mechanic somewhere in harmonic bliss.
Some people just mesh with their autos. In style, tone, color, vintage—everything.