RESTO FIRM’S APPRENTICES SKILLS BOOST

World-famous Jaguar restoration business, partowned by employees, announces it needs more staff

R estoration company Classic Motor Cars, which recently announced that it has offered part-ownership to its 60 staff, has confirmed that it’s now looking for more young trainee engineers.

The Shropshire based firm already employs six full-time apprentices, and it says that it is hoping to recruit a further four to bring the total up to 10, to maintain its skills base for the future.

CMC now works as an employee shareholder trust, similar to the John Lewis Partnership. Workers will each own 1% of shares – the rest is being looked after by an employee ownership trust chaired by founder Peter Neumark.

Operational board chairman, David Barzilay, says: ‘It is vital that we recruit more young people into the business to learn traditional skills.’

‘I didn’t want to sell the firm to investors’ – Peter Neumark UK CLASSIC INDUSTRY NEWS

S hares in a worldrenowned British classic car restoration company have been offered to its 60 staff – and there’s good news for youngsters wanting to join.

Six full-time apprentices are currently employed, and four more a year are to be recruited.

Peter Neumark set up Classic Motor Cars (CMC) in 1993 with just two people. Since then hundreds of classics have been restored – including several highly important Jaguars.

The Bridgnorth, Shropshire based firm had a turnover of more than £5.2 million last year.

‘I’d always loved classic cars and at first it was a sort of hobby business. It grew organically and now there are 60 staff,’ says Peter.

‘I am now nearer 70 than 60 and Nick Goldthorp, who founded this great business with me and has been largely responsible for where we are today, is also nearing retirement age.

‘It came to the stage where I was thinking about the future of CMC. I was lucky to be in a position where I could pass it on to staff.

‘There are so many greatly skilled staff, including young people, working here. We have always been proud of our apprenticeship programme and I didn’t want to put anyone’s future in jeopardy by selling the firm to investors. It just struck me that who would be better to ensure CMC’s future than its employees?’

An employee shareholder trust, on the lines of the system at John Lewis, has been set up. CMC’s new structure involves a trustee board, chaired by Peter, with trustees from diverse backgrounds, and an operational board. Employees own 1% of shares each – the rest is being looked after by the trust.

CMC’s many restorations include the Linder Nocker lightweight E-type Jaguar, the only XK140 to race at Le Mans as well as an E-type once owned by Lofty England. About 50 cars are in the workshop every month. Major publicity was received when CMC produced a Jaguar Mk2 updated to the specification of Jaguar design director Ian Callum.

Any work on classic cars can be carried out – everything apart from chroming is done in-house. Nick Larkin

www.classic-motor-cars.co.uk