Expert help
When walking around classic car shows in this country I’m always pleasantly surprised by the sheer numbers, and the different marques on display. Let’s face it, for a small country with a relatively small population, classic-car ownership is definitely alive and well.
The seemingly endless array of classic cars in this country is matched only by the people who own them. We all buy classic cars for different reasons, whether it be sentimental — having had one growing up, or a grandfather who used to own one — or maybe because it was a car you admired as a teenager and aspired to own one day, when you could afford to shell out the necessary funds. Or perhaps it’s a restoration project to fill in your days, which brings me to another point — skill levels.
There are many of us who own classic cars and are happy enough to drive and enjoy them, preferring to let a friendly mechanic take care of the general maintenance required: and those at the other end of the scale who are well capable of performing a full body-off restoration.
Whatever your motivation for restoring a classic car, it is the ultimate labour of love, requiring time, patience, and a high level of skill, not to mention having the right tools for the job. For a classiccar enthusiast, bringing a vehicle back to life is a rewarding experience, to say the least. If you don’t have enough time on your hands, your project will be destined to fail from the get-go, or at least stall for long enough to ruin the experience. Restoring a classic car needs a particular set of skills, and many enthusiasts would no doubt prefer assigning this task to experts who have years of experience restoring classic cars.
With this in mind we’ve run a series of special features over the past several months showcasing the experts that support our hobby. Experts in fields such as coachbuilding, engine reconditioning, vehicle underbody, and even those specializing in building race cars have provided extremely informative profiles of their particular offerings.
Many owners of these companies are classic-car enthusiasts themselves, and more than happy to sit down with you to prepare a plan based on your specific requirements and budget. This month, we highlight the one component that many of us take for granted and, in many cases, leave until something goes wrong — transmissions — and talk to the people who really know their stuff.
It’s important to remember that whether you’re looking to have your engine reconditioned, brakes repaired, radiator recored, a new paint scheme, or major fabrication work, that there’s an abundance of expertise right on your doorstep only too willing to offer expert advice.