Tim Skilton finds the specialist mechanic he’s been looking for
If you’re a specialist car owner, you’ll know finding a decent mechanic that will give your vehicle the loving attention it deserves is not easy. For the last 12 months I’ve been searching for that elusive spanner man – someone whom I’ll trust implicitly with my 1951 Chevrolet pick up – and I reckon I’ve finally found him at Monza Automotive.
Rob Brightwell is the proprietor of the newly established business, which is based at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground in Leicestershire. Rob has over twenty years experience working on a variety of prestige sports cars, ten of them as an authorised Porsche technician. He’s also fully conversant with marques like Ferrari, TVR and Jaguar.
Rob’s experience within the motorsport industry is reflected in the condition of Monza’s facilities. The unit is spotlessly clean, with car parts laid out in a uniform manner on glistening metal workbenches. I ask Rob for a tour of the machines he’s currently working on:
“We’ve a Ferrari Daytona Spyder, which is in for a total rebuild,” he says nodding towards a bare shell resting on wooden blocks. “We’ve stripped the entire car and it’s having the body re-panelled next month. It’ll be worth around £300,000 when it’s done. I’m also completing a regular service on a Ferrari 355, which is an engine-out job. Next week we’re taking custody of a 1960s E-Type Jaguar, which we’re restoring from the ground up.”
All Monza’s bodywork is taken care of by the unit next door, which is run by an ex-Ferrari paint shop technician with over 30 years experience. “He’s the best paint man I know but not too expensive,” says Rob.
With prior arrangement, customers can let rip around Bruntingthorpe’s 4-mile test track and then return to Monza’s unit if any further alterations need making to the customer’s car. Rob can also offer tuition to drivers who’ve not been on track before.
So if you’re looking for someone to take care of your specialist vehicle then call Rob at Monza Automotive. In his words: “I’m offering a professional, caring and quality service at extremely competitive rates.”
Contact: Monza Automotive, Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground, Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire, LE17 5QS. Tel: 0116 247 8707. www.monzaautomotive.com www.bruntingthorpe.com
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Sir William Proby, Chairman of the National Trust and owner of Elton Hall, cut the tape to formally open the new station building, and tribute was paid to the huge number of organisations and individuals that have brought the scheme to fruition, including The Environment Agency, WREN, the 79 Railway Squadron, the Probation Service, GB Railfreight, the Rockingham Forest Trust, the Elton Estate, many generous benefactors and…not least… NVR volunteers.
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