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Five British custom car builders that you’ve probably never heard of

The British automotive industry was once thriving, with globally recognised manufacturers like Aston Martin, Bentley and Jaguar leading the way in engineering innovations. However, whilst these brands remain British by design, they ceased to be manufactured on British soil decades ago and are now owned by automotive giants like VW and Ford. Now, hardly any “British” cars we see on the roads today are actually crafted in Britain and so there is an increased demand for niche UK custom car builders to keep the industry current. Here, machinery manufactures, Baileigh Industrial, present five custom car builders that you’ve probably never heard of.

Charlie’s Classic ‘N’ Custom

With an impressive eye for detail, Somerset-based Charlie’s Classic ‘N’ Custom offer ‘top-gear’ bespoke body manufacturing and paint work for all vehicle models. At Charlie’s they are dedicated to providing the highest-quality workmanship for classic and custom car repairs and restorations. For long-term durability and reliability, Charlie’s classic ‘n’ custom is almost unrivalled, a must visit for custom-car enthusiasts.

Custom Car Mods

South Coast Vehicle Restoration

South Coast Vehicle Restoration have made it their goal to add a contemporary twist to basic car models. By making small tweaks to original elements and sticking closely to the original design briefs, they have transformed hundreds of cherished classic vehicles. Whether you’re looking for a glossy new paint-job, or an extreme modification, this Hampshire based company can deliver an exceptional level of service and results.

Autostyl

With over ten years’ experience building and restoring cars, Autostyl offer everything from routine maintenance to custom roll-cage design and welding/ fabrication services. Whether you’re an A to B driver, a rally driver, or, a show queen, Autostyl are a one-stop-shop for all your motoring needs. Their fully equipped workshop combined with their specialist skill-sets means they are well-paced to deal with new challenges, quickly and efficiently, whilst working to the highest standard.

Southan Metalcraft LTD

Taking a more traditional approach to car manufacturing, SM tries to make each project unique – there’s no production line of mass-produced copies, just the love and skill of hard-working specialists. Each project is treated as an individual bespoke creation and handled with the care and respect they deserve. Their custom car modifications are works of art, featuring both classic and contemporary upgrades.

Vintage Car Restoration

JC Welding Services

Focused entirely on modern and classic VW vehicles, JC Welding Services caters to a specific niche, offering a high level of attention to detail and skill. Restoring and rebuilding classic Volkswagen cars and vans following years of experience allows this company to balance price with quality, making it a must-use for any VW owner or enthusiast. Committed to honesty and trust, JC offers money-can’t-buy advice, alongside their renowned services.

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Win Free Insurance With Approved Used Triumphs in July

Buying secondhand motorcycles is a lot of fun. But it can also be a bit stressful, which is why manufacturers have introduced approved, pre-owned schemes. It means you get a bit more peace of mind when you’re buying a bike previously ridden by someone else. And as a bonus, you can currently win free insurance with approved used Triumphs in July, 2018.

Buy an approved pre-owned Triumph from the Adventure, Roadsters and Modern Classics before the end of the month and you’ll automatically be entered into a prize draw. And three winners picked at random will be offered Triumph Insurance for 12 months, up to a value of £500. And if you’ve already got cover sorted, the offer will be valid for two years.

You can buy from the Approved Pre-Owned Triumph stock either online or through participating dealers. And there’s a list of checks which are carried about before a motorcycle is available.

All the Triumph motorcycles available as an approved used example will be under five years old from their first registration. And they’ll also have done no more than 25,000 miles.

To be included in the stock list, the bikes will also have received any service required within 1,000 miles or 3 months. And they’ll undergo a multi-point inspection and any rectification work required. So you get the benefit of a vehicle history and mileage check, a certified vehicle quality check, and full service history. The checks include the frame, suspension, steering, final drive, wheels and tyres. And a full engine diagnosis, exhaust system examination and electrical inspection.

Other benefits to the Approved Pre-Owned scheme include a one year MOT. Plus a one year unlimited mileage warranty, and a full year of Roadside Assistance just in case.

As a final incentive, Triumph TriStar Finance is also offering a 7.9% APR deal on the Pre-Owned range until the 31st July, 2018 as well.

Paul Lilly, general manager of Triumph Motorcycles UK and Ireland, commented: “With a comprehensive multi-point inspection and a quality & safety check by a qualified technician, we’re confident that each Approved Pre-owned motorcycle will perform like a factory fresh bike for its new owner for complete peace of mind.

So full checks, a finance offer, and the chance to win free insurance with approved used Triumphs in July. Not a bad way to celebrate summer, really?

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DENDROBIUM D-1 E-HYPERCAR: PLUG & PLAY @ 200-PLUS MPH!

The Dendrobium D-1 e-hypercar is confirmed for development and production in UK and debut presentation at Salon Privé.

After the highly successful international introduction at the Geneva International Motor Show in 2017 and subsequent presentations throughout Europe and the Far East, the Dendrobium D-1 electric hypercar has taken its next steps towards production with an all-new company, Dendrobium Automotive Limited, now established in the UK. The Dendrobium D-1 will be officially presented in public for the first time in the UK at Salon Privé, which takes place in the grounds of the Blenheim Palace from August 30^th – September 1^st.

The Dendrobium D-1 was originally a basic electric hypercar design concept, created in the mid-1990s, by Vanda Electrics, a Singaporean product design company. In 2016 the sketched designs were presented to UK engineering and Formula 1 company, Williams Advanced Engineering with a brief for them to create a working show car integrating many features of the car which would appear on the production version to be presented at Geneva. A uniquely qualified management team has now been recruited to take the Dendrobium D-1 into its next phase of development.

Nigel Gordon-Stewart is Chairman and CEO of Dendrobium Automotive Limited. Gordon-Stewart has been working in the premium and supercar markets since 1989. He is best known for the sales and marketing of the McLaren F1 and subsequently as Sales & Marketing Director of Automobili Lamborghini SpA reintroducing the Super Veloce brand with the Diablo SV and SVR. He was later an Associate Director to the Board at Group Lotus Plc among other senior roles.

“Dendrobium Automotive is one of the most exciting businesses I’ve ever been involved with.” commented Gordon-Stewart. “Using the very latest technology, we are developing, what will be, the most impressive all-electric hypercar. We are designing our own in-house all-electric powertrain and we plan to use our own power storage cells moving to Solid State as and when the technology is reliable and financially viable. We are developing unique cabling and connector systems as well as our own complete vehicle integration and ADAS hardware and software. From a technical perspective, the D-1 will be a British engineering tour-de-force.”

The specification targets of the D-1 are as impressive as you’d expect from a hypercar in this sector: 1,800 horsepower; 2,000 NM and a target weight of 1,750 kgs yet it must represent the true feel of a supercar, not big and heavy. Performance will be very impressive and as linear as possible in its delivery, re-writing the rules for the experience of hypercar ownership. “The car is all carbon fibre, advanced composites and alloys which are superlight and super strong,” stated Jens Sverdrup, Member of the Board of Dendrobium Automotive Limited. Sverdrup has a highly successful background in the supercar industry having worked with Lamborghini, Ferrari and Pagani but is best known for establishing the Koenigsegg brand on the map to the extent that it’s now one of the most desirable and highly valued brands in the supercar sector. Recently he’s been responsible for raising Rimac Automobili’s profile globally.

“The construction of the D-1 is based on a unique Protocell carbon tub which possesses future adaptability for further generations of Dendrobium e-performance cars. Apart from advanced vehicle technology, the D-1 has enormous drama and presence thanks to our unique Bio-Aerial Locomotion door and roof opening system, which was inspired by the Dendrobium name. A lot more details will be revealed over the coming months, not the least of which will be the D-1’s impressive range and rapid charge time. You can be assured that the Dendrobium brand will become synonymous with the most exciting and technically sophisticated e-hypercars on the market and available globally.”

“Although all the Dendrobium team has automotive blood running in their veins, we are essentially a technology company developing ultra-performance EV and PHEV cars, systems and components,” continued Gordon-Stewart. “Our Advisory Board is chaired by Michael Kimberley who created Lotus Engineering back in 1978 with Colin Chapman which has provided engineering consultancy and technology services throughout the automotive industry with clients from Toyota to Aston Martin.”

For more information and the latest news from Dendrobium, please visit https://dendrobium.com/about-us/

Check out https://www.salonpriveconcours.com/ for details of events at Salon Privé.

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INDY: USAC MIDGET RACING AT THE BRICKYARD?

Stephen Cox blogs about a new event designed to draw short-track fans back to the mecca of motorsports.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has announced a new event that will be held in the first week of September and hopefully pump up sagging attendance at the Brickyard 400 stock car race. A quarter-mile dirt track will be constructed inside Turn 3 for a USAC midget race,

Speedway president J. Douglas Boles told the Indianapolis Star, “The short track community in a lot of ways is the heart and soul of racing, so… we thought, ‘Is there a way we could connect with that short-track guy or gal who spends their weekend at the local track on Saturday?’ And we thought this was a good way to experiment with connecting with that fan base.”

I have an idea that might help. It’s not original, but it’s effective. Let’s start with the track’s biggest event – the Indianapolis 500 – and see if the results don’t trickle down to the Brickyard 400 and every other event held at the Speedway.

If the Indianapolis Motor Speedway wants short track fans to return to the grandstands, why not allow short track drivers to participate in their premier event, the Indy 500? That concept worked quite well for over half a century. But in recent years the Speedway has promoted a new “ladder” concept and a top tier spec racing formula that has all but barred short-track drivers from participating in the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

In late-2016 I asked Boles if he wanted short-track drivers returning to the Speedway. He responded, “First and foremost in my mind is just really safety… I’d love to see 50 or 60 or 70 cars entering and guys just being able to decide that they have a driver who’s running at Putnamville and we’re going to give him a shot to run at the Speedway. I just don’t think it’s practical anymore.”

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is now paying the price for that attitude. Yes, the short-track community is the heart and soul of racing, and no, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has not the slightest connection to that fan base. At least they openly admit it now.

The cure is simple. Open up the Indy 500 formula and end the spec car era. Encourage short-track drivers to make the Indy 500 their career aspiration. Then you won’t have to beg short track fans to return to the grandstands in May or September. You won’t have to construct special dirt tracks and hold special midget races to con short-track fans into buying weekend tickets to major events that otherwise hold little interest for them. If short-track drivers race at Indianapolis, their fans will follow. No gimmicks required.

Is there anyone in the halls of power at IMS with the will to make that happen? I’m not holding my breath, but there’s always hope. For the first time, the Speedway’s president is openly admitting that they’ve managed to utterly destroy their once inseparable bond with the short-track community. At least they see the disaster that’s resulted from 25 years of bad decisions that have alienated short track drivers and, inevitably, their fans.

That’s worth something. Perhaps it will eventually spawn the best news we’ve heard from Indianapolis in a long time.

Stephen Cox: FIA EPCS sportscar championship & Super Cup Stock Car Series sponsored by http://www.mcgunegillengines.com/and http://www.boschett-timepieces.com/index.php Sopwith Motorsports Television Productions, Co-host, Mecum Auctions on NBCSN

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Entries Open For 2018 Triumph Advanced Apprentice Programme

Want to be paid to learn how to become a qualified motorcycle technician? Or know someone who does? Then let them know that applications are now open for the 2018 Triumph Advanced Apprentice Programme. And with 12 places available across the UK, no-one will want to miss the August 31st deadline.

The course will take a total of three years, working in an authorised Triumph dealership alongside the experienced staff. And the apprentices will learn theoretical and practical skills from routine maintenance to servicing and fault diagnosis.

As well as working in a Triumph dealership, you’ll also be attending the purpose-built training facility at the Leicestershire headquarters to learn even more. Over the three years, you’ll spend a total of 17 weeks split across three blocks – presumably once a year. So it’s basically an annual trip to the delights of Hinckley to find out more about how to build, fix and maintain Triumph motorcycles. But in addition to your wage as an apprentice, you’ll also get holiday pay. So you won’t just be looking forward to a training centre in Leicestershire each year.

The end result is that three years of full-time employment will give you a recognised qualification in motorcycle maintenance. Some of the Triumph dealers with places available across the UK are Webbs of Peterborough, Bridge Motorcycles in Exeter, Triumph Plymouth, Norfolk Triumph and Lings Motorcycles in Ipswich.

Michael Niblett, After Sales Manager, Triumph Motorcycles UK & Ireland, said: “This is a fantastic way to get young people into the motorcycle industry. By handing the best talent in the country over to our experienced staff, we give them a fantastic grounding in motorcycle maintenance and a foundation for a great career. We look forward to welcoming the latest intake to our dealers across the country from September 2018.”

The deadline for applications is August 31st, 2018. But you’ll probably want to get started a bit earlier to try to claim one of the 12 places. And you don’t have to be under a certain age or studying to apply. The website for the 2018 Triumph Advanced Apprentice Programme asks for an interest in the motorcycle industry and Triumphs. Plus the ability to work as part of a team and be interested in computers and vehicle technology. And a willingness to provide excellent customer service and study hard.

The only qualifications listed as required as A-C grades in Maths, English and Science, but lower grades may be considered. You can find out more and apply on the Triumph Apprentice Programme website.

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