Great British custom car builders

[BenzBoy]

I have a confession to make - I watched Chop Shop for the first time last week and was quite frankly stunned at the level of incompetence shown by these so called "customizers". I was going to start a thread ranting about how such bilge gives our car scene a bad name, and how embarassing it looks when put alongside US shows such as Chip Foose and Boyd Coddington. But then I thought "No, as it will be a surefire one-way ticket to Whinge Bin valley, population: Me."

So I got to thinking... are these clowns really the best that the UK scene can produce? Are there not much more competent and experienced car customizers on our shores who are much more worthy of a television series? Is the pinnacle of UK car customization a poorly proportioned, bodged-together heap of steel and plod cobbled together by people that think Offset is something that mortgage advisors talk about?

Well... I went looking for better. And after all the Googling and typing in of different key words all I could come up with is Andy Saunders...







I like Andy Saunder's work, and I can't help but think that if he had the US-sized budget of Foose or Coddington he could produce something incredibly special.

So, my retro brethren, I turn to you to restore my faith in the UK customising scene... is the best we have some demented Bangladeshi with an industrial sized tub of wag and only the feintest clue of what he is doing? Or are there more (better) UK car builders out there?

I'm talking about people that build custom cars as a business really, as I know that there are many people building AMAZING projects in their own garages (on retro-rides for instance)

[jaykay]

i think although there is a few here, we just don't have the car or bike way of life they do in the states, were there seems to be a rod shop on every corner or a bike place everywhere. shame really

[adrian sutton]

the problem with chopshop rebuild is that its aimed at the maxi pants boys with out a clue , the british film industry follows the trends that they see , ie the maxi pants boys and girls. no vision at all. they seem to think that thats all the british public are interested in. watched asmall episode featuring a off road volvo , absolute bag of dog cr*p. and who was it built for , just the biggest scroungers in uk history , a lord or something. i mean come on , what self respecting lord or royal would ever be seen in a volvo off roader built by a phill mitchell look alike and a sumo warrior whose egos bigger than his gut. there is so much more this country could offer as in talented guys and girls that can realy sculp metal into eye catching breath taking machinary. me personally would leave that way , keeps the officails that want to kill the self made car industry busy and keeps them off our backs , us the poeple that produce real cars in our garages and driveways and who know that they have to drive their own cars so they have to carry out mods to a higher standard . the welding on chopshop is nasty , then its filled over with a ton of clag. sad aint it. well thats my take on it .

[Stiff]

For me it's got to be this guy



Nick Butler. Creator of
Revenge



Andromeda




Wolfrace Sonic



and many, many more
Auto Imagination
www.nick-butler.co.uk/index.html

[Seth]

There's not many people here who are Custom builders as such. As distinct from Hot Rod builders. I suppose one all rounder would be Paul Burnham and his crew.

www.burnhamautos.com/index.htm







For hot rods the current favourite names are Jon Golding of Home Grown Hot Rods



and Steve Lang



though there are numerous other places capable of turning out quality work.

For bodywork, custom or otherwise Lance McCormacks shop The Romance of Rust is pretty damn good though

[Blueyhonda]

I know he only caters for the maxi pants brigade but you cant deny Jamie Shaws skills when he produces motors like this...



When everybody else was modding Skyline's and Supra's he said 'no' and did something different with a British car.

[rmad]

It depends what you're into.

There's any number of people who can built much better stuff than Chop Shop, but well-engineered clever building wouldn't make good TV!

Dave Rothwell
Nick Arlett
Paul Burnham (and his team)
Tim Hammond
John & Robin Beardmore
Keith Atkinson


..and that's without if trying (or venturing outside of Hot Rod builders).

[JohnnySomersett]

There's plenty of great custom car builders & hot rod builders about in the UK, we just don't feel the need to have it splurged all over every medium of media.

British people have always been a 'recommended by a friend' type of car culture from what i have gleened. For instance, there's a great fabricator down in Farnborough who's name escapes me this minute who is well renowned, then there's FH Ellis a short journey away who turns out some lovely cars.

Classic cars are just not as big over here as in the states

[Deleted]

[Ether]

Jan 4, 2009 20:16:48 GMT Seth said:

For bodywork, custom or otherwise Lance McCormacks shop The Romance of Rust is pretty damn good though

Yeah, it's loads better since they got rid of that Executioners character

j/k

[briandamaged]

Laydees, and gentlemen...I give you......Nick Butler.

Nykilodeon
Nick's first T-Bucket, powered by a 371ci Oldsmobile Rocket lump. Made its UK show debut in 1973. Yep, 36 years ago.


Revenge
Built in 1976, and the C-Cab that got me into customs back when I were a nipper. Powered by a 427 Chevy. I think it's in Spain now.

Wolfrace Sonic
That's Nick behind the wheel, the passenger is the legendary Mike Collins, Street Machine staff writer who had the best jive-speak 70's writing style imaginable. You literally had to read his stuff twice before you even began to understand it..

'Andromeda'
Nick built this one just after 'Revenge', Andromeda was powered by a Hemi, I think it's still about too!!

Nick's still about, and still building stuff (if anyone's got a pic of that Austin Devon van from the 2003 Billing NSRA meet....).

Edit: I might have known this thread would take off, all these replies have come since I started assembling this one, so I'm leaving it up! :-)

[Rich606]

I guess we don't really have anyone on the "scale" of Chip Foose etc, but think about Dave Rothwell's Standard Flying 12 or his Hillman Husky:












Or Nick Arlett's Standard Vanguard estate that, scandalously, I can't find any pictures of.
I guess things are just on a different scale here; perhaps we don't have the market to warrant a Chip Foose- or Boyd Coddington-style operation here. But to be honest, I know what I'd rather go for

Jan 4, 2009 20:36:07 GMT @briandamaged said:

Edit: I might have known this thread would take off, all these replies have come since I started assembling this one, so I'm leaving it up! :-)

Lol, same...

[Stiff]

Jan 4, 2009 20:36:07 GMT @briandamaged said:

(if anyone's got a pic of that Austin Devon van from the 2003 Billing NSRA meet....).

Is it this one Bri?




If so, there's a page on his site about it www.nick-butler.co.uk/devon.html

If not, Sorry. I wasn't at Billing so don't know which one

[v8ian]

Jan 4, 2009 20:42:28 GMT Rich606 said:

I guess we don't really have anyone on the "scale" of Chip Foose etc, but think about Dave Rothwell's Standard Flying 12 or his Hillman Husky

Or Nick Arlett's Standard Vanguard estate that, scandalously, I can't find any pictures of.
I guess things are just on a different scale here; perhaps we don't have the market to warrant a Chip Foose- or Boyd Coddington-style operation here. But to be honest, I know what I'd rather go for

Jan 4, 2009 20:36:07 GMT @briandamaged said:

Edit: I might have known this thread would take off, all these replies have come since I started assembling this one, so I'm leaving it up! :-)

Lol, same...

You wont find any pics of Nicks Standard, Its never been anywhere, other than out for a Photoshoot for CC, and round the block a couple of times, It will be out this year, but Nick has just moved, and getting the house up to spec has his time filled at the moment, I'm over there next week to help him get it started after a year or so of hibernation, Ill see if I can get some pics then,

I suppose you cant forget his earlier cars either, Mk1 Zephyr, Porkyseven, the 40 Ford pickup, Cossy mk2 cortina estate, Blue Mk1 cortina , XE powered, and many more,

[Deleted]

Jan 4, 2009 20:18:07 GMT Blueyhonda said:

I know he only caters for the maxi pants brigade but you cant deny Jamie Shaws skills when he produces motors like this...



When everybody else was modding Skyline's and Supra's he said 'no' and did something different with a British car.

sorry but i wouldn't let that guy any where near anything i owned due to the way that looks

[Kyle67]

Jan 4, 2009 20:36:07 GMT @briandamaged said:

Wolfrace Sonic
That's Nick behind the wheel, the passenger is the legendary Mike Collins, Street Machine staff writer who had the best jive-speak 70's writing style imaginable. You literally had to read his stuff twice before you even began to understand it..

No doubt he made Nick Butler put Parliafunkadelic on the stereo during that drive.
Mike Collins is a legend......

[bazzateer]

Edd China's come up with a few interesting custom jobs

www.cummfybanana.com/

[v8ian]

Sorry ED CHINA and GREAT BRITISH CUSTOM CAR BUILDERS do not belong in the same sentence!!!!!

[BenzBoy]

Ah, I knew you guys would come up with the goods! Nice one!

To be honest this thread highlights how little I know about the hot rod and custom (in the pure sense) car scene. I love the cars, but I don't know a flathead from a flat tyre (tire?!). ;D This side of the car scene is on my "essential reading" list though, which is kind of what prompted me posting this thread.

[HoTWire]

Jan 4, 2009 21:13:40 GMT v8ian said:

It will be out this year, but Nick has just moved, and getting the house up to spec has his time filled at the moment, I'm over there next week to help him get it started after a year or so of hibernation, Ill see if I can get some pics then,

Any chance you can give him a nudge in the direction of RR Gathering .. I had a long chat to him a couple of years ago before we did our first show, he really seemed to be on our vibe.