Therkildsen has worked on all manner of engines as a NASCAR and drag racing mechanic and did a stint in the Army as a mechanic as well.
“I decided I didn’t want to work for someone else anymore, and I opened up HD Motorsports in the middle of the pandemic,” Therkildsen said. “I started with me and two other mechanics, and now we have 10 full-time employees and one part-time.”
HD Motorsports, located at 2118 Downing Lane, Leander, bills itself as offering performance car services and upgrades, but can—and does—do much more for local hobbyists.
A scan of the shop recently revealed several different Corvette builds from third to fifth generations, a Chevrolet K20 truck being readied for off-road handling and several other immaculate classic cars.
“Somebody put it best that we’re a speed shop with a race team,” Therkildsen said. “We work on a lot of people’s toys. But it’s only a matter of time before we completely outgrow this space. We are currently looking for something in this community because we like being where we are, and so, we’re looking for another space twice this size.”
The work at HD Motorsports includes everything from fine-tuning engines, to increasing safety performance, to tires, wheels and handling as well as supporting the cars it works on at various tracks around Texas on the weekends.
“We don’t ever come in and go, ‘Well, we don’t have anything to do today,’” Therkildsen said.
From the time HD Motorsports opened though, one project car has loomed large in the garage.
In 1999, Ford introduced the 11th generation of its iconic Thunderbird, intending it for the 2001 model year. The prototype that the company pushed across the floor of the Detroit Auto Show for the media was never intended to be street legal. That exact car, though, then a dull yellow, now silver, found its way to HD Motorsports and its team spent over a year getting it into shape. Built around a Jaguar engine—Ford owned the British automaker from 1999-2008—with a Ford transmission and lacking even a proper VIN number, the car stands out in a parking lot littered with eye-catching machines.
“It was supposed to be crushed, but someone got ahold of it and took it to a shop in Louisiana and another in Austin but could never get it to run well,” Therkildsen said. “Not only did we get it to run, you can drive it around town if you want. That’s one of the cooler projects we’ve had in the shop.”
HD Motorsports
2118 Downing Lane, Ste. 120, Leander
512-886-3443
www.hdmstx.com
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., Sat. by appointment, closed Sun.
