Founded by friends, passionate about classic and sports cars, The Vault is a labour of love and life-long dream come true! However this vibe doesn’t just extend to our love of cars and the car world, it also applies to our customer service, quality and professionalism.
If you have a cherished car and would like to discuss your maintenance or storage requirements, please do get in touch - we would love to hear from you and find out more.
+44(0)1473 598836
BIOGRAPHIES
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“I have spent the entirety of my career (with the notable exception of an evening job at the local Co-Op at 15) working in, on or under classic and sports cars. A time served apprenticeship starting by shadowing my father from the age of twelve.
A lifetime spent around cars has furnished me with a knowledge base, skill set and feel for classic cars and their peculiarities. I have a deep and genuine love for the subject matter and culture around them. My earliest memories always feature cars, particularly a certain Lotus Cortina engine bay I recall. My very best experiences have all been very motor-centric, and it is a privilege to live it every day.
I have a particular flair for engine set up and tuning, detail and optimisation.
I am professional, honest and respect everyone’s passion in whatever form it takes.
I have a particular personal enthusiasm for British classics; the Triumph TR range - and the 6 above all, modern and classic Bentley and Rolls Royce cars, and the machines of the 80’s and 90’s revolution that brought performance to the masses.
Currently, I am restoring a 1982 Honda CL250S, aiming for exacting original specification. I am also proudly a new owner of a 1990 VW Scirocco GT2, thanks in no small part to my colleague here at the Vault Europe.
See you at the shows, perhaps…”
My dream garage would have to include:
Triumph TR6
Mercedes W124 E36 AMG
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My earliest memories include watching Dukes of Hazzard and Knight Rider at the age of three or four surrounded by a box full of Matchbox cars on the floor, and riding in the back of my Grandad’s yellow Lotus Cortina mk3. Motoring has always been in the family with various cars and motorbikes, my Dad was a UK distributor for Fantic Motor so we were often at trials events. Both my parents car history fuelled my interest which included Jaguar XK140, Fiat X19, TR8, MGBGTs before moving on to family models - a BMW 518 then a succession of Renaults and various random vehicles acquired through trade (Daihatsu Taft anyone?).
I currently own a 1996 mk1 Mx5 Merlot, lovingly cared for since 2006; a 2017 Audi S5, the result of eighteen months searching for the right one; and recently a much coveted 1993 VW Scirocco GT2, my current project.
Until recently I also had a second 1991 Mx5 in Classic Red, a project which I improved on and enjoyed before moving it on to a very appreciative new owner. I enjoy working on and maintaining my cars as much as I can and aim for original genuine spec but with subtle improvements to make them OEM+, each one of my cars has something special about it.
A member of the MX5 Owners Club and Scirocco Register, I regularly attend local and national meets and events, driven at Snetterton, Stowe and Brands Hatch, and have a bronze driving certificate from the Lotus Driving Academy. I love the sense of community that comes with owning a classic car, there’s always an interesting conversation to be had with other owners - I’ve met some lovely people who I now call friends, and the nods and waves from other drivers always never fails to put a smile on my face.
Professionally I have managed company finances for 25 years in the wine, manufacturing and travel sectors. Both at work and with my hobby I seek to develop and improve while maintaining originality, quality and integrity. To have the opportunity to combine my working day with my love of cars is a dream come true - there’s nothing better than seeing cars with heart, measured in rpm!
I look forward to seeing many great examples of current and future classics, and together with my colleagues to actively contribute to the motoring community and share the enthusiasm.
My dream garage would include:
Chevrolet Corvette C1
Aston Martin V12 Vantage
Jaguar F Type
Audi Quattro 1980s
Ford Mustang 1960s
Volkswagen Karmann Ghia
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My classic car passion started with an article I read in about 1985 about what we’d now call a barn find, in fact it was more of a ‘hedge find’, a rear engined, air cooled, pre-war Tatra, I was mesmerised! Following this I developed a keen interest in my mother’s Morris Traveller, which I bought from a scrap yard after she sold it (aged 14!) and my Grandad’s 1983 Skoda Estelle, another rear-engined gem, which Alex restored for me and I still own!
My small collection today spans cars from my childhood, dream cars from my adolescence, such as a Ferrari 328 and just silly stuff like my near 200 MPH Bentley Arnage Mulliner T…I love them all!
My work life has taken me through property, banking, IT and marketing, latterly holiday letting through Best of Suffolk, a business I ran until 2021.
The Vault is a long-held ambition of mine, to work with respected and long-term friends around cars and the car world, to share a little of our passion with our customers and community.
My dream garage would include:-
Ferrari 250 GTE
BMW E34 M5 Touring
Tatra 77
Porsche 992 GT3
Subaru 360
Mazda MX5 Mk3.5