CHARITY HAILS JAGUAR’S 40-CAR BOOST TO RESTORERS
Classics to go to budding future specialists to help them learn vital skills
Acharity dedicated to supporting the next generation of classic restorers has hailed the loan of 40 classics from Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) as a major opportunity.
The donated vehicles, which are all non-JLR models, are part of the 549-vehicle collection that Jaguar bought from Dr James Hull in 2014 and are estimated to be worth £2-5k each. They’re being loaned to the Starter Motor charity, which in turn will be distributing them to colleges across the UK to help train budding classic car apprentices.
So far, six cars have been delivered to the Heritage Skills Academy in Bicester, including an MG Metro, Mini Cabriolet, Standard 8 and Morris Minor, which arrived on 19 February.
Starter Motor Charity Manager, David Cox, says: ‘We’ve been developing our relationship with JLR since before the charity was even officially founded.
‘The great thing about this loan is that there are no obligations attached, meaning the apprentices can take their time with the cars. We’d love to see the students get out to events driving the cars; it’s just as important that young people experience the cars as well as learn to fix them.’
British marques dominate the group of donated vehicles, with Austin, Morris, MG and Triumph featuring prominently. As many of the cars – which are in varying conditions – as possible will be brought back to the road, while those that cannot be restored will be used for demonstration purposes.
CCW reported last week that a further 100 non-JLR vehicles from the collection will be sold at Brightwells’ Bicester Heritage sale on 21 March.
JLR says that it is selling off the vehicles so it can focus on its own initiatives, but is glad that the classics are being used to support training for new classic restorers.
JLR Classic director, Tim Hannig, says: ‘We are expanding the range of services we offer to our clients, and the space created by this will allow us to focus on exciting initiatives. This activity also allows JLR to inspire and train a new generation of classic car enthusiasts, so I am particularly pleased to be supporting the Starter Motor charity through the loan of 40 historic vehicles.’