When Richard Hodson was a child, he would spend endless hours watching his father Barry at his business restoring and repairing classic cars. Today, he's part of the business, and the key man to take it forward to the next generation.
Twenty-four year old Richard took an early interest in his father Barry's business restoring classic cars. His mechanical mind started at the age of six, when he was given his first motorbike to play around with. "We were always tinkering with the bikes, either simple maintenance or taking them apart to clean," said Richard. "Dad taught me from the start to take care and respect the workmanship that had gone into what I was working on."
Also a karting enthusiast, Richard moved from motorbikes to karts and with his father's guidance, learnt how to repair and tune his kart.
"With my father being around mechanics and racers all day every day, I was naturally interested in what he did, and I was keen to learn. As he was also a classic car racer as well as a mechanic, my passion for all things automotive could only grow."
Studying maths and physics to A-level, Richard's mind was naturally analytical and precise - stripping an engine down to its component parts and then rebuilding them came easily.
After school and at weekends Richard would help Barry and the team with more and more projects, steadily becoming more confident.
"My favourite project to date is having worked on a 1963 Lola GT Mark 6/GT40 prototype - both rare and beautiful. It came to us as a wrecked shell, and over six months we restored it to as new, and then raced it. The knowledge that you helped create the green blur on the track at Donington is amazing"
Richard now has 18 years experience with classic car repairs and has no intention of letting this go unused. "I now help my father run the business, and I'm in the office as well as under the bonnet, although of course I prefer the bonnet."
I've worked on a vast range of cars, from Jaguar E-types and Austin Healeys, to the Lola and Caterhams. I've even been involved with the only 1904 Celer in the country."
Business owner and father Barry said: "As time gets on I'm letting Richard take the reigns a bit more and his skills in the field are outstanding. I'm really proud of him."
The company offers classic or contemporary car servicing and repairs, including any minor problems or knocks, classic car partial or full restoration, classic rally and race preparation, classic car sales, and classic car insurance repairs. To find out more about what Barry, Richard, and his team in Twyford can do for you, call 01664 840687.
