The Roar of the Engine

Name

Jonathan Wills

Profile name

Cotswold Classic Car Restorations

Occupation

Classic car restorer

Is this your own enterprise?

Yes

How many years have you been doing this job?

First started restoring cars in 1994 which makes it 23 now.

How did it all start?

I was working on a farm and accidentally wrote off an MG Metro on a Devonshire lane. I re shelled and rebuilt it which I quite enjoyed doing although I've always been interested in racing and Motorsport. I went to a local body shop to get the car resprayed and at the same time asked if they had any jobs going - which they did. So I ended up working at a body shop / restoration place in Taverstock, Devon which is where I started to learn my craft. 

What does the job involve?

At CCC we are a fairly sizeable business so I now do more of a managerial role rather than the vehicle restoration. This involves a great deal of liaison work between staff, clients and Suppliers. You have to ensure that you get the right person to do the right job as staff are very particular to specific roles. For example, you can't have an electrician painting the bodywork.

What qualifications do you need?

Actual academic qualifications kind of take a secondary place. You have to be very good at organisational skills and be a very good people person. The ability to encourage and get the best out of people is a skill worth having and be good at delegation. 

What’s the best part of the job?

I love seeing the completion of a project after having done what the client has asked. You can get a real satisfaction of a job well done. I also enjoy overcoming some of the problems you get and of course I love the cars. You have to be really careful as some of these are incredibly expensive. 

What’s the worst part of the job?

Sometimes a supplier will want to charge a lot of money for an item, which a client may not understand why a particular job can cost so much. You then have to explain the reasons and ensure that the client is kept happy. When you are running your own business you have to deal with all the aspects that come with it, such as handling clients through to time management, legalities and costings. This can get to be quite stressful.

What advice would you give to someone who was looking to do this as a career?

A person needs to think about what they enjoy doing with their life. Decide what standard of living they want and are happy with. Are they energised by creating an entity they can call their own, or do they want life to pass them by? Or are they prepared to sacrifice all things to keep going? Think carefully as to what gives you pleasure and organise it.

About the interviewer:

David Walker spent over thirty years working as a technician with the Theatre, Film and TV industry before deciding to change career and move into journalism. He studied with the BCJ and received his Diploma in 2016. Now he works freelance covering online, print and radio broadcast. His specialist areas are Motorsport, Travel, The Arts and the Mars One Project, although he is never afraid to try anything new and relishes a challenge wherever possible.

To contact David please email davidwalkerfj@gmail.com

Click here for David’s LinkedIn profile.

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