The conversation dives into the personal car journey of Barney from Heritage Parts Center, starting with his first project—a rusty 1973 Volkswagen Beetle—and how that hands-on experience shaped his passion for cars. The hosts share recent challenges with their Porsche 997 GT3, including mechanical issues and repairs, while highlighting the importance of knowing your car’s emergency release cables. Barney reflects on his early inspirations from car culture videos and family influence, illustrating a deep-rooted enthusiasm for automotive restoration and community involvement.
How do you turn a teenage passion for VWs into a global automotive empire?
In this episode of 9WERKS Radio, Lee and Andy are joined by Barney Dines, the CEO of Heritage Parts Centre, as the company celebrates a monumental 40th anniversary. Barney shares the "Driven Not Hidden" origins of his career—from restoring his first VW Beetle at just 15 years old to leading one of the world's most respected Porsche and VW parts suppliers.
We dive deep into Barney's personal garage, including why he considers his Porsche 997 to be the finest car he’s ever owned and his ambitious future plans to resurrect a 550 Spyder and get it back on the road where it belongs.
But it’s not just about the stories; we get into the "nitty-gritty" of Porsche maintenance and modification. Barney settles the debate on OEM vs. Genuine vs. Patent (Aftermarket) parts, explaining when to save and when to spend to ensure your Porsche stays in peak condition.
In this episode:
The Heritage Story: How a passion project became a 40-year business success.
The 15-Year-Old’s Restoration: Barney’s first Beetle and the lessons it taught him.
The 997 Verdict: Why the 997 is the "Goldilocks" 911 for the CEO of a parts giant.
The 550 Spyder Project: Bringing a legend back to the road.
The Parts Masterclass: Understanding the difference between Genuine, OEM, and Patent parts.
Building a Brand: How Heritage Parts Centre has evolved since 1986.
‘9WERKS Radio’ @9werks.radio is your dedicated Porsche and car podcast, taking you closer than ever to the world’s finest sports cars and the culture and history behind them.
The show is brought to you by 9werks.co.uk, the innovative online platform for Porsche enthusiasts. Hosted by Porsche Journalist Lee Sibley @9werks_lee, and 911 owner and engineer Andy Brookes @993andy, with special input from friends and experts around the industry, including you, our valued listeners.
If you enjoy the podcast and would like to support us by joining the 9WERKS Driven Not Hidden Collective you can do so by hitting the link below, your support would be greatly appreciated.
"So GT3 has been coming out to play
We've been mega excited before that you've had to fix it."
The Porsche 911 GT3 is a fast and sporty car made for racing and fun driving. It has a special engine and parts that help it go fast and handle well on twisty roads.
The Porsche 911 GT3 is a high-performance variant of the Porsche 911 sports car, designed primarily for track use but also street-legal. It features a naturally aspirated engine, enhanced aerodynamics, and suspension tuned for precision handling.
"the other reason being that there's no under seal and I didn't want to go out on the salty roads But even if I could have I wouldn't have been able to"
Under seal is like a protective layer on the bottom of a car that stops it from getting rusty, especially when roads are salty in winter.
Under seal refers to a protective coating applied to the underside of a vehicle to prevent rust and corrosion, especially important in regions where roads are salted in winter.
""What's wrong? Yeah, it looks like something's wrong with the solenoid so we get that fix. Yeah, all good fun""
A solenoid is like a small electric switch that moves parts inside the car to open or close things like doors or trunks.
A solenoid is an electromechanical device used to control a mechanical component, such as locking or releasing a latch. In cars, solenoids often operate door locks, trunk releases, or other mechanisms.
"It was a very rusty Volkswagen Beetle. It was a 1973 1200. It was an unfinished project that somebody had taken apart and started doing some really bad welding on bought a load of parts for"
The Volkswagen Beetle 1200 is an old, small car with a round shape that many people recognize. It has a small engine in the back and was made in 1973.
The Volkswagen Beetle 1200 is a classic compact car produced by Volkswagen, known for its distinctive rounded shape and rear-engine layout. The 1200 refers to the 1.2-liter engine displacement common in early Beetle models, including the 1973 version.
"blew the engine up after no A couple of months or something through a rod and crashed it"
Throwing a rod means a part inside the engine broke badly, which usually ruins the engine and means it needs a lot of fixing or a new one.
Throwing a rod refers to a catastrophic engine failure where a connecting rod breaks or detaches, often causing severe damage to the engine block and requiring a rebuild or replacement.
"And uh, we whipped the engine out on the campsite with a few sort of basic tools bought clutch from the local Of most of factor."
The clutch is like a switch that helps you change gears in a car with a stick shift. It connects and disconnects the engine from the wheels so you can drive smoothly.
A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission from the engine to the drivetrain, allowing the driver to change gears smoothly in a manual transmission vehicle.
"I think it borrowed a trolley jack from someone someone just happened to have a trolley jack in their car"
A trolley jack is a tool with wheels that helps lift a car up so you can work underneath it safely.
A trolley jack is a wheeled hydraulic jack used to lift vehicles off the ground for maintenance or repairs. It allows easier positioning and movement under the car.
"My mum had a mark one escort Mexico. My dad had a big old granada"
The Ford Escort Mexico is a type of car made by Ford that was designed to be sporty and good for racing on rough roads. It’s a special version of the regular Ford Escort.
The Ford Escort Mexico is a special edition of the Ford Escort, inspired by the successful Ford Escort RS Mexico rally car from the 1970s. It is known for its sporty characteristics and rally heritage.
"My dad had a big old granada. My dad grew up with anglias"
The Ford Granada is a big car made by Ford that was popular for families and business use because it was roomy and comfortable.
The Ford Granada is a large executive car produced by Ford in Europe and the US during the 1970s and 1980s. It was known for its comfort and size, often used as a family or company car.
The Ford Anglia is a small car made a long time ago by Ford. It was a popular and affordable car for families.
The Ford Anglia is a compact car produced by Ford UK from the 1930s to the 1960s. It is known for its distinctive styling and was popular as an affordable family car.
"bugjam And run to the sun my dad took me to my brother and a couple of friends had run to the sun when we were young teenagers saw all the old custom hot rods"
Run to the Sun was a big car party where people drove their cool old cars and hot rods to have fun and show them off.
Run to the Sun was a famous annual car event in the UK that featured custom cars, hot rods, and classic vehicles, attracting enthusiasts from across Europe.
"when we were young teenagers saw all the old custom hot rods and All the old red W's never doing that"
Hot rods are old cars that people make faster and cooler by changing the engine and how they look.
Hot rods are classic American cars, typically from the 1920s to 1950s, that have been modified with large engines and custom styling for high performance and unique looks.
"I think it's 95 mark three golf cabriolet I mean, it's a golf the golf cab that'..."
The Volkswagen Golf is a small car that many people like because it's easy to drive and lasts a long time. The Mark 3 Golf Cabriolet is a version with a roof that can be folded down, so you can enjoy driving with the wind in your hair.
The Volkswagen Golf is a compact car known for its practicality, solid build quality, and driving dynamics. The Mark 3 Golf Cabriolet, produced in the mid-1990s, is a convertible version that combines the Golf's reliability with open-top fun, making it a popular choice among enthusiasts who want a sporty yet everyday car.
"...h, I mean, I've I've driven I've driven some old 911s and I've driven 993 and they they still they feel..."
The Porsche 911 is a famous fast car that looks unique and is fun to drive. The 993 version is special because it was one of the last models with an older type of engine that many people love.
The Porsche 911 is an iconic sports car renowned for its distinctive design, rear-engine layout, and exceptional driving performance. The 993 generation, produced in the mid-1990s, is especially celebrated for its blend of classic air-cooled engineering and modern reliability, making it a highly sought-after model among collectors and enthusiasts.
"It's my the manual
Naturally aspirated nice nice and low to the ground nice and bumpy so you can sort of feel everything going on"
A manual transmission means you have to change gears yourself using a stick and a pedal, which lets you feel more connected to the car.
A manual transmission is a type of gearbox that requires the driver to manually shift gears using a clutch and gear stick, providing a more engaged driving experience.
"It's my the manual
Naturally aspirated nice nice and low to the ground nice and bumpy so you can sort of feel everything going on
Whereas the new stuff it does feel a little bit."
A naturally aspirated engine breathes air in naturally without any extra help, so it feels smooth and direct when you press the gas.
A naturally aspirated engine draws air into the combustion chamber without using forced induction like a turbocharger or supercharger, often resulting in linear power delivery and a more direct engine response.
"..., yeah, there's um, you can't take the boy out of s6 Exactly what I was going to say"
The Audi S6 is a fancy car that is both comfortable and fast. It has a special system that helps it drive well on all kinds of roads, so it's fun and safe to drive.
The Audi S6 is a high-performance version of the A6 executive sedan, combining luxury features with sporty handling and powerful engines. It's known for its quattro all-wheel-drive system and refined interior, making it a favorite among those who want a practical yet dynamic driving experience.
"...r german warehouse. So Take it on a few autobahn expeditions stretch its legs properly"
The Ford Expedition is a big car that can carry a lot of people and stuff. It's good for long trips and can handle rough roads, so it's great if you want to go on adventures.
The Ford Expedition is a full-size SUV designed for large families and heavy-duty use, offering spacious interiors and strong towing capabilities. It's often praised for its comfort on long trips and off-road potential, making it suitable for extended journeys like highway expeditions or outdoor adventures.
""Take it on a few autobahn expeditions stretch its legs properly""
The Autobahn is a special highway in Germany where some parts have no speed limits, so cars can go really fast.
The Autobahn is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany, known for sections without speed limits where drivers can legally drive at very high speeds.
""I'm on nine points. So I've got to be really careful on the uh on the speed situation in the uk""
In some countries, if you break driving rules, you get points on your license. Too many points can make you lose your license.
The points system is a method used by many countries, including the UK, to track driving offenses. Accumulating too many points can lead to license suspension.
""I've been to germany for the last year. I've got caught by the same speed camera coming out of hamburg airport""
A speed camera is a camera that catches drivers who are driving too fast, and they might get a ticket or points on their license.
A speed camera is a device used to detect and record vehicles exceeding speed limits, often resulting in fines or penalty points on a driver's license.
""Please Barney. Yeah, sure. I don't know like what what what is OEM? OEM is original equipment manufacturer so""
OEM means the parts come from the same company that made the original parts for your car. They usually fit well and work properly because they are the same as what was first put in the car.
OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer, referring to parts made by the company that originally produced the components for the vehicle. These parts are typically considered high quality and fit exactly as intended by the car maker.
""Let's say for example Bosch make lots of electrical products which are fitted onto horses. So if About Bosch is an OEM part.""
Bosch is a big company that makes many parts used in cars, like electrical parts. Many cars have Bosch parts inside them.
Bosch is a major global supplier of automotive parts, especially electrical components like sensors, starters, and alternators. Many car manufacturers use Bosch parts as OEM components.
""If it's genuine Porsche, it's got to have Porsche on it and the""
Genuine parts are made by the car company or with their approval. They usually fit perfectly and work well but can cost more.
Genuine parts are components made or approved by the original car manufacturer, often branded with the car maker's name. They ensure compatibility and quality but can be more expensive than aftermarket or OEM parts.
"But if it's a if it's a camshaft or Or some cam bearings, you probably want to go for the best that you could afford"
The camshaft is a part inside the engine that helps open and close the engine's valves so the car can run properly.
A camshaft is a rotating shaft in an engine that controls the opening and closing of the intake and exhaust valves. It plays a crucial role in engine timing and performance.
"But if it's a if it's a camshaft or Or some cam bearings, you probably want to go for the best that you could afford"
Cam bearings are small parts that hold the camshaft in place inside the engine so it can turn easily.
Cam bearings support the camshaft within the engine block, allowing it to rotate smoothly. They are critical for the proper function and longevity of the camshaft.
"which will sort of cover off all the brands of video Porsche and Land Rover"
Land Rover is a car company from Britain that makes big, fancy SUVs that can drive off-road and in tough conditions. They are popular for their strong and comfortable vehicles.
Land Rover is a British brand specializing in luxury SUVs and off-road vehicles. Known for models like the Range Rover and Defender, it combines rugged capability with premium features.
"Obviously your catalogue for Porsche is 356 to 997"
The Porsche 356 is an old sports car made by Porsche a long time ago. It was the first car they made and is known for being light and fun to drive.
The Porsche 356 is the company's first production automobile, produced from 1948 to 1965. It is a lightweight and nimble sports car that laid the foundation for Porsche's future models.
"So it's a 981 boxed a gts It is manual And the spec on it is ludicrous to be honest with you."
The Porsche 981 Boxster GTS is a sporty car made by Porsche. It has a powerful engine in the middle and special features that make it faster and look cooler than regular models.
The Porsche 981 Boxster GTS is a generation of the mid-engine Porsche Boxster sports car produced between 2012 and 2016. The GTS trim typically includes performance and aesthetic upgrades over the base model, such as more power, sportier suspension, and unique styling elements.
Select text to request an explanation
We we usually at this stage do a bit of a soft intro where we'll just kind of talk about something
But that's what we've been doing this afternoon. It's usually remote. Yeah, that's quite exciting. Yeah, we're in the same room
Look at this. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, we are. It is pretty good. Um, yeah, so basically getting ready
I'm sure everybody else at home is doing this as well getting ready for spring season driving season
So GT3 has been coming out to play
We've been mega excited before that you've had to fix it. Yeah
What I've been doing to it. What would be broken?
Yeah
Yeah, I've broken it. Is it time to admit to it? It's time to admit it. Yeah. Oh dear. Yeah
Please watch the YouTube video that will come out because like we need to pay for it somehow but
Yeah, haven't quite told the whole truth to YouTube certainly over winter where little Irish has
been broken the GT3 has also been broken which is
Half of the reason why it's not been used the other reason being that there's no under seal and I didn't want to go out on the salty roads
But even if I could have I wouldn't have been able to because basically
That's no way to dress it up. I just I
Lifted my garage door into the lifted front of the bonnet and it scraped the leading edge and took the paint off
Nice
Yeah, so we've touched that up a bit today. Yeah, so you can use it. Yeah, it's going in for
Yeah repair obviously needs it
But I am really looking forward to this Saturday. It'll be like the Saturday just gone by the time you see this
To RPM technique doing like a really soft launch friends and family thing of the new updated showroom
Nine works. I think we're the first
Independent or third-party community organization business, whatever you call it to
Use or to rock up to RPM for it for there to use their new premises for an event
Which is going to be great that's in two weeks time
But before that is a bit of a test the water scenario with this friends and family thing
So the GT3 is going to go to that which is lovely
But then I cleaned it after its winter storage popped the
other lid
It's all going wrong with it. So yeah, the engine cover and
Yeah, it then wouldn't shut so you've come round and gone. What's going on here? What's wrong?
What's wrong? Yeah, it looks like something's wrong with the solenoid so we get that fix. Yeah, all good fun
Yeah mega so it's
At the moment the lid is closed
It can only be open with like the pool cable that's nestled underneath the rear lights
What we would say actually because it we had to chat about this earlier on didn't we if you own a
Well, yeah, pretty much any kind of Porsche really have a check on that about where that cable is that
Release cable for the front and the back. Yeah, they are know where they are
It's one of those where it you won't ever hope to need it
But when you do you better jolly well hope you can reach it because if you can't understand it
Yeah, you ain't getting in there particularly bearing in mind under the front is where your battery is
So have been there. Yeah. Yeah, I was making all for him experience and trauma, but um, yeah
We love sliders apart and stuff. Oh dear. We love we love this life. Don't we so yeah, so definitely that is that's like a good
That's a strong start to the episode to give we're actually giving like yeah
Tips and journalistic facts. Yeah, just just check the whereabouts and location of those cables because I said sometimes when you need to
Open the front and rear lids
Of your own mechanical accord. You need to make sure you can do so easily if not you are in a pickle. Yeah
Amazing. Yeah, should we get into the depths of it? Yeah, man run V2 with whatever they say, don't they?
Yes, yes, we have got a guest panelist today
He has been on our much radio before and he's gonna give a bit more time ago, isn't it?
Yes, Barney, I've forgotten Barney's surname dines dines from heritage park centre
Good to hear the story of
how
Heritage came apart came a pal about
How his involvement has gone over the years
And how they're all doing yeah, and his story in in what he's been up to
From from the age of 15. Yeah. Yeah, it's it's quite a story again
Like we've heard previously on almost ready. It's actually three years ago. He was on
From Nummox at the warehouse. Yeah, and we learned about Barney's 997
But we wanted to know a little bit more to that story and where
Barney's enthusiasm for cars came from
it actually this kind of all came about because
Andi you and I were going through all of the parts needed for Little Irish
And working out where we're going to buy from whether it's Porsche or Heritage or whatever
And yeah, that just kind of got the brain ticking a bit and we thought well
Yeah, the man one of the men behind that amazing business that supported the podcast for quite a while now
Let's yeah, let's kind of offer an opportunity for Barney to tell his story. So that is the conversation you're about to see
Let's hit it
I
This is nine works radio brought to you by the nine works marketplace
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Everybody at home listening we're joined by a lovely guest someone who has been on nine works radio previously
We're delighted to have him back. It's Barney from Heritage Parts Center. Welcome Barney. Hi guys
Thanks for having me Barney. Yeah. Yeah, it's a pleasure to have you back
I had a look recently at the last time you're on I think it was three years ago. So time has moved
exceptionally quickly
In that time. Yeah, that was just after one of our very successful nine works at the warehouses that we're delighted to do with you guys annually
Yeah, time time moves for sure. So
We spoke at length in that conversation about your nine on seven and we'll we'll touch on that shortly but
Barney, we'd love to kick things off by asking our first worst best to next
To you if you don't mind
Too long. We haven't done one of these for ages
Yeah, so first is
barely
Um stereotypical I would imagine for someone in my position. It was a
Uh, a very rusty Volkswagen Beetle. It was a 1973 1200
It was an unfinished project that somebody had taken apart and started doing some really bad welding on bought a load of parts for
So I basically bought a box of bits and a body shell
and then spent
Two years
Bolting it and welding it back together with my now business partner Paul
On a farm in Donninghurst in uh, in Essex where we used to live
Yeah, yeah, that's and how old was that? Was that when you were?
I was 15
15. Okay. So well well before heritage parts. Yeah. Oh, yeah
Yeah, my my grand gave me 300 quid to buy it
Yeah, there's a sort of birthday early birthday present and uh, yeah, I think god knows how much I spent on it, but
did a fairly uh
Basic well, it was extensive at the time, but it wasn't a very high quality rest over
Yeah, but you got it back on the road. Yeah. Yeah, got it back on the road for not long after my 17th birthday
So it was uh, and then probably crashed it about three weeks later. No
Oh
Yeah, it was a it was a great car. I mean, I loved its pieces. It was constantly breaking down. Um
blew the engine up after
no
A couple of months or something through a rod and crashed it
Repair it hit a milestone in Cornwall got towed back from run to the sun
You know, it was always on the back of the AA the AA actually sent me a a letter telling me to uh to get my car
so
They picked me up and towed me home on so many occasions
So it was a learning curve
No, I was kind of more inclined to go for the sort of styling products rather than the stuff that makes it go
I put one piece windows and solenoid doors and things like that rather than actually doing the brakes
That's great. You know when you got a problem when you get to know like the AA
Staff, you know first name
Jumping into the truck. Oh, he's Dave. How's the wife and kids?
That is excellent. Are you are you quite hands-on then Barney with like car projects and whatnot?
Yeah, not so much now, but um, yeah, I've done several reso's over the years. You know, my wife's got some
T6 vw camper fans that she rents out and generally they they get a little bit broken on the rental
So I end up having to fix stuff. No, I don't sort of stay away from the mechanical stuff now
It's a bit too new for me that
Pull a cupboard door or four break a seat belt or whatever. I'll put it back together for
Yeah, yeah, it's it's a it's a fantastic apprenticeship. I mean speaking as a checkbook mechanic
um, but you know where you're yeah 15 16 17 so before you even have your license kind of putting a car together
It's a great way to learn the innards of how a car works and how it goes down the road
Yeah, we we used to break down such a lot. We had to fix it ourselves and we didn't have a lot of money
Now we used to take engines out on campsites. I had a clutch go one one year
Um run to the sun call wall
And uh, we whipped the engine out on the campsite with a few sort of basic tools bought clutch from the local
Of most of factor. So that's it got it back on the road
Brilliant. I think it was the one year. I actually made it back on my own own steam
I think every other engine on your chest
No, we just we we had a somehow borrowed a or
Um bought a truck. I think it borrowed a trolley jack from someone someone just happened to have a trolley jack in their car
The engines on on they're called vw's are really easy to get out
Yeah, four four bolts in here there, aren't you four bolts a few cables for some bulbs. Yeah
When you've got a few mates to sort of
Help shuffle it out where you jack the car up
then
That's brilliant. Yeah, you just you just do not see anything like that anymore really unfortunately
I mean, yeah, it's a bit difficult to do that with like a 992 or whatever. Do you know what I mean? Yeah
Yeah
A bit more complicated for sure. Yeah. Yeah
How long did the did that first car last for you mentioned it had a whack um a few weeks after being on the road, but
Um, oh a long time. It had various sort of iterations
It was sort of off the road and repainted and different engine different wheels different sort of styling several times
Um, sort of from to rest okay
Um, and I took it off the road
To turn it into a sort of german look street racer and that never got finished. Unfortunately
I bought another car in the meantime to
Sort of tied me over which then turned into a kind of fairly major rest hour as well and then
That kind of took priority and I ended up getting rid of the other ones and crushing it. Unfortunately
Yeah, I had lots of really nice bits for it and and sort of the body shell was kind of
Dumb ish
Too too many patches. Yeah selling it for parts though, but yeah, I've probably had it for
Must have been about five six years
Okay, okay, so I mean okay
Yeah, you were saying like with the the various kind of looks it went through with like the cow look and whatnot
So like you're very clearly heavily immersed in like the enthusiast scene from a very young age like what were your
um
Yeah, what what was your kind of source of inspiration growing up like magazines? Maybe or?
then my first calling to the sort of casting really was um
the
19 I think in 1989 bugjam video that was out on bbc and sort of loads of cool cars and
those are guys in cool shirts
And racing and I thought yeah, that looks cool. I'm gonna get involved in and that's what drove me to buy the veto
But prior to that my my dad was always into cars. My mum had a mark one escort Mexico. My dad had a
big old granada
My dad grew up with anglias
um
So yeah, it's kind of sort of from in the blood. I think but the the real inspo was uh was bugjam
And run to the sun my dad took me to my brother and a couple of friends had run to the sun when we were
young teenagers saw all the old custom hot rods and
All the old red W's never doing that
really do
Yeah, there were some great pictures of me sort of about 14 15 long hair
Some fairly kind of lively shorts
In front in front of fish will be each with a load of hot rods and
And vetoes about by me
Please please can we get hold of these photos? Yeah
There's some fairly
damaging reputation damaging photos in my
Over the years the various bad haircuts
What's your mum's name and telephone number?
I know um, obviously we'll we'll we'll go on to to worse cars and best cars and whatnot, but um as an Essex lad. Did you ever
Uh, yeah get sucked into Ford ownership
No, I've never owned
um anything other than
VW Audi or Porsche
So that's quite yeah quite a change up where you were saying like from what your your parents have owned historically and then and yeah
Yeah, you've you're very
Clearly heavily inspired by that bug jam video then and it's yeah the same path, you know
I think all my mates when we were at school. We all got into it. So there was a real crew. I'm from Brentwood in Essex
And um, there was a real crew into the VW scene down there. There was a couple of mates that got into the Ford
scene, um, you know some xr3 eyes
But majority of us were into to VW
It's a bit of a thing for us in those days. It was it was way out of our price range
You know, you could pick up a beat for a couple of hundred quid
I think like the cheapest VW I bought was a t2 bay window for 75 quid and it's still a six month taxon in my seal
Those were the days when like Jesus
Take me back take me back
Yeah, yeah, if only if only we'd bought them up in those days, you know, I just turned down cars because they were
Yeah, that's too rusty
I didn't like the color
Well, when you see that, yeah, you think back and you think what that car was like. It's actually like a mintage a day, isn't it? Yeah
Yeah, yeah, right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah worse car then Barney
Worst car. Uh, this this is easy actually just just I've still got it actually it's in the
car park of the uh
of the warehouse rusting away in the salty shore Amir
It's a 19
I think it's 95
mark three golf cabriolet
I mean, it's a golf the golf cab that's that's got like the roll bar over the middle, isn't it?
Yeah, yeah
That's kind of probably holding it together at the moment stopping it from kind of snapping in half
I'm fairly sure it's got a fairly soggy floor and carpet. I bought it. Um
for my
Uh
Wife to learn to drive in uh, it was probably the worst
Car I could have ever thought of to buy just someone rang up and said I've got this mark three golf cabriolet for sale
Do you want it? I was like, yeah, go on. I love it
That's like 400 quid or something. I thought yeah, that'd be all right. She can learn to drive in that and um
It's just the most undriveable car ever
It's got the heaviest clutch
Yeah, I don't think you see him got power steering. It's got the most horrendous scuttle shake from about 30 miles an hour
Um
And he just kept breaking down he kept conking out and not not starting
Various electrical problems probably because it's full of water
Those are dodgy aftermarket. Um immobilizers and stuff like that. So
Yeah, it kind of came off the road after about
Well, I think it's MOT right now and I just didn't bother to see it again. So
How long has it been sat there?
Um
Oh god at least five years. Yeah, is it really my god. Yeah pre pre covid
They they were pretty sad those mark threes to start with weren't they but I can imagine after 20 25 years
It's going to be yeah, the hard top. So okay. I had a 16 valve
DCI three door that was that was decent. It was a good car
Yeah, and I wouldn't recommend a mark three cabriolet
Do you know what I um, I really wanted one of them Barney really wanted one. So like back in the day might um
my vw polo, which was my first car that got nicked in bristol and um
I then started yeah browsing for like a replacement and I saw
I think like the equivalent Porsche color for for listeners. It was like a shark blue
um real vibrant blue and I think it was either in like pvw mag or golf plus mag something like that and um, it was decked
It was on uh bbs rs's with like the red center caps
It just looked a million dollars on the floor. It might have even been bagged. I don't know
But um that thing always something I thought I'm going to get a mark three golf or 3.5 golf
and um
It just looked rad. I never got near it because funny enough a pcso found my car over the other side of the city
So it sounds sounds like they've done me a double favor
Yeah, dodge dodged a bullet. I just I just thought they looked rad. They can look really nice
They've always been a bit. Yeah, they've always been a bit of an ugly duckling
um
The mark four seems to have a more of a following than the mark threes. They come sort of seem to skip a generation
I think you would have had to
Invest serious money into that to make it look anything decently
I didn't start thinking about dodging it done, but as it needs it needs too much work. It's not worse. Yeah
Very money at it. It'd be a money pit
Yeah, and you haven't got enough good memories with it
to uh to invest in it
No
Yeah, definitely not golly. Okay. Well, that's yes pretty it's pretty strong contender for worse car if it's the only cabriolet
I've ever owned
Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Good start. Good start. Yeah. Uh, all right. Well, let's flip it then so best best car you've ever owned
Um, definitely the 997
Okay, yeah
Okay, I remember picking it up and um, I'd only ever driven a
Porsche once before I drove it was actually a 997 that I drove
that um
Where they were fairly new at a test drive. It was the release of a new model
I went to
Porsche dealer in urges hill and they had an open day and I got to take you up there a
Um 27 give it a good blast
Is it right? I need to buy one of these and then a few years later
It was my 40th birthday or 10 years ago now 11 years ago now
A 40th birthday. I bought it for myself as a birthday present. I remember picking it up and just
giving it
Damn good spanking on the way home and just the feeling of joy looking in the wind in the mirrors and seeing the sort
Curve the weird arches
And the the noise and the pull just everything about it just
felt great
It that that sounds like a bit of a yeah, like a high moment
In your story Barney like you were saying earlier on, you know
Like growing up like the idea of like owning a Porsche is completely out of the question
So that sounds like a big life's fulfillment in nabbing one of those
Yeah, I'd always sort of said I'd have some sort of sort of supercar by someone's 40
Let's do it
Yeah
It's a felt sort of I'm in an iron over it in a friend of mine just said look you're
He said you're a long time dead, mate
Just do it
So did it amen amen amen and he's it was it was it the fulfillment of that term like wish and dream
Why the 997 is the
Is the best car you've owned or is it you know having owned it since it's like actually this is a phenomenal thing
Yeah, it's a phenomenal car. Yeah, definitely. I've had some I've had some other sorts of fast cars. I've had some
fast
Plastics, I've had a beetle with a
two-liter engine in it, which is
As quick as the Porsche off off the mark
But nothing compares to the way it handles and drives and just feels to drive
I was quite lucky to have a a go in a 3.8 c2s recently from paragon
Absolute mint example. It's like a time warp car and just the way that car goes down the road. It's so
Different to anything today. You know, I mean, I guess it's 20 years old now, right? But um, yeah, it's just it's
It's still like it's a proper Porsche sports car. It's like it feels small and dainty going down that road
It's yeah, wonderful wonderful thing, but like a clear evolution over the 996
Yeah, I mean, I've I've driven
I've driven some old 911s and I've driven 993 and they they still they feel very classic compared to the 997
The 997 is kind of for me. It's the perfect crossover. You could drive it every day. It does feel
like a sort of modern comfortable car
but it's
it's still
Got that kind of raw
analog feel to it
It's my the manual
Naturally aspirated nice nice and low to the ground nice and bumpy so you can sort of feel everything going on
Whereas the new stuff it does feel a little bit. You do feel a bit disconnected from the road, don't you?
Yeah, it does it just I think with the newer stuff and we kind of covered it on a recent podcast again, you know, the
The older stuff should have say it just reveals itself a little earlier
And I think that's what makes us fall in love with them a bit sooner
The new stuff there are so many layers to them and that's where they're very clever
They do so many things
But as a result it takes us a long time to get underneath the skin
It was the old the older stuff and and it's completely subjective as to where you draw the line on it for me
It probably is 997 you can jump into it quickly go down one road and you're like, okay
I understand what this car is about and why it's awesome, you know
Yeah
Yeah, definitely. Yeah, you'd you'd said on on the previous podcast a couple of years ago
You know, you've you've addressed a load of like the age related foibles the 997 has like, you know
Replacing the lower arms and stuff and it's lowered on h&r springs. I think you said
Um eye backs eye backs. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Was was that like done to
Pull it out of the sky for like a visual effect or is was it like the performance upgrade that you were going for?
Um, it was a bit of both really. Oh, it I broke a spring and
I thought I just while I'm doing it. I'll lower it. But yeah, it does. Yeah, it looks good
I've got turbo alloys on it and it's nice and low. Oh, yeah, it feels good. Thighs nice
Yeah, yeah, there's um, you can't take the boy out of s6
Exactly what I was going to say
I love it. I love it. Oh, yeah
This is this is the rewards that we're giving viewers now that we're doing
visuals as well, you know, you can see the socks of our guests. So
It's a bit to be fair on the subject of visuals
You wrote a really nice story for our website again
I think it was a year or so ago
Um a my Porsche story and there's some lovely pictures of the car on there
So we encourage people to go along and and have a look at that and um and see the car in all its glory really
So, yeah, I mean, it's probably worth staying on that before we jump onto onto next car
So, yeah, what what escapades have you enjoyed with with 997 ownership?
Um, it's it's been off the road
Well, it was off the road for quite a time
And it got hit like badly outside of my house in london
a couple of years ago
And I had a fairly sort of long call of usage
uh argument with the insurance company to get it repaired properly and um
It's uh, I got it back and then it sat in the warehouse for a while afterwards because I didn't have anywhere
I could keep it at home off the road
uh, so but last summer I moved and
Got it back home got it out on the road. I enjoyed it a bit last year
took it on um
Took it to a couple of bw shows
Uh didn't get 24 shows unfortunately last year. Um
But planning to get to a couple this year and
Have some fun
I've got a couple of um customer visits over on the continent to do
Uh in the spring. So I'm going to take it over
And give it a blast potentially take it and leave it in our german warehouse. So
Take it on a few autobahn expeditions
stretch its legs properly
I'm on nine points. So I've got to be really careful on the uh on the speed situation in the uk
Yeah, yeah
I've been to germany for the last year. I've got caught by the same speed camera coming out of hamburg airport
Oh, woolly. Is that where the points have come from?
No, no, that's the uk points
There's a speed camera just outside hamburg airport and it drops from 80 to 60 to 50
And you go around the corner and there's a camera
And i'm usually kind of just sort of trying to find where i'm going and I look up and oh no not again
Not again
They're pretty good with points down there. They don't sorry speed and tickets have been get like a 20 euro fine and
And that no points if you're sort of less than I think it's 15 kilometers over the limit
So it's just a little money a small slap on the wrist slap on the hand. Yeah
Yeah, yeah, they um, how about the um uk points are they
any sort of hero points on there or is it just uh
20 mile an hour is in London very very boring. Yeah, 26 and a 20
um
The variable speed limits on the most way
Yes, so I've got all my speed awareness courses
limit reached
So I'm now very very boring
cruise control
70 miles an hour
Yeah
Yeah, yeah until until you hit the auto bar and I mean to be fair because it's it's bremen, isn't it?
Where the um, the heritage euro warehouses it is. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, we um, we were
Pretty lucky actually, I think maybe three years ago
Some of us on a a road trip up to Norway through nine works. We all stopped off there for the morning
Which was great. It was great to have a look around and um, yeah that from from here to there. That's a that's a decent slap
That's definitely 9 11 territory. I would say. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I could definitely get some some good numbers out of that
Definitely better than the higher cars
Yeah, oh, yeah. Yeah, definitely definitely
Definitely. Yeah, what um other plans have you got you mentioned like you'd hopefully like attend a couple of um, like
Yeah, Porsche events with the 997
Anything else that you'd like really like to do with the car
Um, it needs a little bit of body work as I noticed the other day. It's got a little bit of a
A bubble on one of the seals. So I'm gonna get it get it put in get that put right
um
But other than that and the wheels need a refurb there's a couple of little
Bubbles on the wheels other than that it's pretty good. Yeah
I'm sort of gonna just sort of keep it as
As close to original as it is it's got other than sound system lowering
wheels
It's fairly fairly standard. Uh, it's had a remap and it's got some different exhausts on it
I suppose it has been modified a little bit but
That's amazing. Yeah, it's it's kind of low low mileage now. It's at about 60 000 miles
That's not had a lot of use in the last few years. So yeah
I promised it to my daughter when she's when she's 18. She's only six at the moment, but she's
She's keen to get her hands on it
Okay, it's a proper keeper then a proper. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah
My first pull so yeah plan to keep it but that means I've got to get another one for my son. So but he's only two
So I've got a what?
Yeah, what a great lead on to the next question then what's next
For the um, well, I've got I've got a 550 spider kit
which um
I'm I don't
have
Any space to do anything with yet, but I'm going to be building a garage in the next couple of years and the plan is to do that with the kids
um, and I was originally thinking of using a
tycan
It's a little power plant for it, but I think I'll probably stick with
uh internal combustion and maybe use a box to
Box to for the the running gear. It's a is supposed to be a bench for waste kits as a tube chassis
media engine
fiberglass flip back
So flip front
No flip back. Yeah
Um, yeah, it's that body shell up on a on a
Yeah part of it's on the way off part of it. Yeah part of it's in the
There's a sort of pump room at the back. Yeah
But yeah, I'd like to do something a bit a bit special with that and yeah
I love doing that with the kids. So how old are the kids?
six and two
Okay
So maybe a couple of years. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah a couple of years
Margo will be kind of dexterous enough to handle these banners
Fred would love to get involved now, but he's uh, yeah, just bashing things with his toy hammer
David that'll do
I think those were the the first tools that I picked up was a hammer
My dad gave us gave us a hammer and nails and some bits of wood and I think yeah bashing was the way forward
But I was I was put putting a shelf up the other day and he walked in with it with an sds
And he's just run off and got his own little drill and just started china
That's the you've you've I think you've definitely got to um
You've definitely got yeah sticks internal combustion engine in and um, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I think a boxer s would be a good base for that
Yeah, oh, definitely. Definitely. And um, yeah, you're you're well placed per part Barney as well, right? So, yeah, yeah
It could be a fantastic roving advertisement really for for heritage and your back catalogue of what you can supply
Yeah, and I'd be good to get back on the tools as well
Yeah, yeah, yeah, excellent. Excellent. Okay. So yeah, yeah your next car you've kind of yeah, it's it's
It's already acquired, but it's just not been turned into reality yet as a as a rolling car. I guess that's quite an interesting
Interesting scenario
Yeah, so yeah, okay interest and stuff interest and stuff
with like like heritage itself then again, like we've we've
covered the um
Certain aspects of the business previously. It's obviously celebrating
A big birthday this year as well, which is yeah, the big four. Oh big big. Congratulations. Is it really?
Yeah, to keep a business, you know going and growing and relevant for that sort of period of time is an absolutely
huge achievement
Congratulations for still having hair on the top of your head as well in all of that by the way
That is um, that is quite an achievement Barney. Did you start the business when you were five? I mean
No, I didn't start it. I joined um with paul in 2000. So we've we've been here for 25 years. So
Yeah, really long story short paul and I went to school together. We got into vw's together
Um, we both started working for a company called big boys toys
Faced back in the 90s
We tried to buy that from the then owner when he retired deal fell through david's that founded heritage was
Getting involved with us. He was going to put in some money and be a partner
Um, and he said if the deal falls through I'll sell you part of heritage come work for me
and we'll we'll build up a sort of custom part sing and
Throw it together. Um, the deal did fall through
We came to work the uh david's he sold us
15 percent of the business
Which we put on credit cards loans
money we found down the back of the sofa and um, then david retired in 2016 and we bought him out
Along with mark who was working for the business at sign as well. So yeah, just paul mark and I run the business now
That's quite a story. I didn't realize there was yeah that amount of the length of time the business had been running and and how you'd got involved in it
That's amazing and yeah thinking about big boys toys
That was a a huge thing in the cow look scene. Wasn't it there that company? Yeah all the stuff's lots of chrome and neon
Yeah back in those days here
Yeah, I mean
Surely in that time look looking at like the 25 years that like you've been involved barney and
I guess the um
The way people by parts has changed like beyond recognition in that time
I mean, it was there even a website in 2000
For example, you know, yeah. Yeah. Well heritage were a real earlier doctor of the websites. I think we were the first
um
Definitely in the vw scene people to have uh website. We could buy stuff on nine not just sort of static page
Um, yeah, we used to get you know, if we get one or two orders overnight
Really really chuffs that they'd they'd come out. I think I don't if we've got an email
I think we've got an email we print the email out and then someone would key it into the um
The order system
And then run it down to the warehouse and pick it. So yeah a bit different now
We're fully online now. We have a text fort lie
um
but
You can only order on the web now
so
I think we turned the sort of phone ordering off about
three years ago
Just it became difficult to take phone
um
Just credit cards over the phone because of the PCI compliance
so
um and
Most people don't want to order over the phone these days
Yeah, yeah, yeah the ease the ease of the internet. I mean
Uh, maybe what a lot of people don't
Perhaps fully appreciate is just how difficult it is because you obviously you're a large huge significant proportional business depends on that website
but like running a website that sells these products and able to
um
You've you've got a warehouse of 25 000 parts
But enabling me to go online and find the exact product
I need easily without me getting distracted by something else or losing patience
Is incredibly hard. I mean andi have kind of been on that journey a little bit just trying to flog a few t-shirts let alone
Your empire, you know, that is a really difficult thing to to make easy if that makes sense
It really is because everybody searches for things in different ways. So you've got to try and cover all the bases
You know, do you does does this part go in that category?
wipers for example wipers come under electrical
But some people look under windscreen. Some people look under rubber. Some people look under body
So you've got to kind of try and make it as obvious and easy for everyone to kind of find the bits they need
We've got we've got five people full time on product that do descriptions and
Sourcing stuff making sure it's in the right categories making sure it's well photographed and that all that stuff
And yeah, it's it's a big part of the business is cataloging and getting it in the right place
The newest stuff is easier because the reginal cut works fairly well
um, but even that with the
Not so much Porsche, but with the w a lot of stuff is some different factories
So you need a production code because if it's made in this factory, it's got this
Manufacturers brakes on it if it's made in that factory, it's got that manufacturer's brakes on it
That can be complicated to show
Yeah, yeah, definitely like without the
Without the the ability to like type in a reg and stuff as you said, that's a bit of a game changer
I guess the the nature of what you guys do and the products that you sell for for Porsche and vw and
Land Rover as well now
With enthusiasts, we kind of we tend to know, you know, at least what generation of car we're
Own and what we're looking for I guess but for for some that even that can be
Uh, a bit of a challenge, you know, and it's like well, I just know mine's a 1995 car
I don't know if it's yeah, but what's what's a 993, you know
Yeah, so it's tough get swapped as well people. Yeah retrofit things and upgrade things all the custom parts are
And not in that regular cup
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah, yeah, definitely an extremely extremely difficult path to navigate which you guys do very well
So congrats on that. Um, yeah, this is kind of a follows off and Andy and I were having a chat over a coffee earlier this morning about it
On like OEM
And the differences between OEM genuine and patent parts and stuff like are you able to just kind of clear all of this up?
Please Barney. Yeah, sure. I don't know like what what what is OEM?
OEM is original equipment manufacturer
so
Let's say for example Bosch make lots of electrical products which are fitted onto horses. So if
um
About Bosch is an OEM part. So even if the part wasn't made by Bosch originally
It's considered to be an original equipment manufacturer
um
If it's genuine Porsche, it's got to have Porsche on it and the
And the Porsche part number. So that might well be made by Bosch or Vallejo, whoever
But unless it's got Porsche on it, it can't be described as genuine
Whereas if it's from Vallejo
Bosch
Saxbacher
Then it can be described as OEM
Okay, and and so that's why an OEM product can
Be quite desired because where it's it's the same product that the manufacturer would use on the car
But it just doesn't have that crucial part number, Porsche part number
Which would possibly incite some Porsche tax as a result
Yes, definitely. Yeah, so it's it's as good as the original but generally they change that because you're not you're bypassing the Bosch
Markup
So yeah as as good as original
Yeah, okay person is
God, sorry Andy
I sometimes see OE used as well as OEM
Yeah, same thing same thing. Okay. Yeah
Same thing and pattern is a non
Original or non OE part. So anything that's made
So replace the original that's not made by the original manufacturer or by Porsche
A lot clearer for me now Andy
Absolutely. Yeah
Yeah
Yeah, yeah, and doesn't necessarily mean poorer quality, especially these days the the aftermarket manufacturers
Super keen on quality these days and we see a lot of the
Aftermarket pattern parts coming in that are as good as the originals
So we we try to be as honest and straightforward as we can with describing stuff. So if something after markets
Okay, not as good as original will say it
Um, quite often we'll only stock that if it's all that's available
You know, especially for the older cars a lot of the OE and genuine parts are not available
So, you know, the option is pattern part and if it's not
Ideal we'll say, you know, it's not ideal, but this is all we can get there
Yeah, I have seen that on the website actually, you know, definitely it's some
I can't remember what I was buying but there was I think there was two two things you could get you could there was like a
An OEM part and then there was the pattern part and maybe that
OEM part was out of stock at the time probably during covid time
You know, it's difficult to to get parts then and I you were very honest from what I remember
That's a good way of doing it
Yeah
Yeah, it's it's it's a difficult path to tread as a an enthusiast and obviously as you know, Barney, there's um
A lot going on with my 996 at the moment and the engine rebuild and you know the list of parts that
I need to source for that car is exhaustive and
You know, you're often driven you you want quality
Of course you do you want quality for your project
But you know, you are driven on price as well and that's regardless of whether it's an engine rebuild or not
I would say but
Yeah, trying to trying to work out what represents good value
And or you know what represents just you know, perhaps like too big a risk with
Yeah, then trying to muddle through patent parts. What's OEM then that's genuine
It it can be quite a challenge as well. You know
Yeah
Yeah, I think you've got to kind of weigh up the cost of
Installing the part the potential failure of the part
You know what if it does fail what's the impact going to be you know if it's a
window switch
It's not going to cause a lot of damage is it, you know, you just might get a bit hot
Yeah
But if it's a if it's a camshaft or
Or some cam bearings, you probably want to go for the best that you could afford
Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely. Yeah, that's a great way to look at it. Yeah
How much would it cost me if I needed to fit it twice for anything like yeah, yeah, for sure. Yeah
Yeah, okay. Okay, interesting. Well, how how how do you and heritage as a business then go about
Sourcing the products and again, that's over those different categories, you know
We've like yeah OEM and patent as well that I can imagine that must prove a challenge
Particularly when trying to keep hold of that quality aspect
Yeah, we we go for OE suppliers as a first protocol
So, you know if it's enabled from from Bosch or
value
Um
We will we will get the OE wherever possible if we don't have access to the OE we'll go to the next best
So we we have a range of tier one suppliers that we use as well as that
And then a range of tier two suppliers
So we're heavily involved with Milo. We're
We're a
Milo UK distributor
and
We we like Milo because it's a it's not a tier one
But it's definitely a tier two quality brand for the aftermarket sort of products are tested in
In Germany some of the good good warranty. So we tend to go for those kind of level of suppliers
And then last option is the the cheaper end of the market
Yeah, and then so like with those products like are they tested do you get them in and and have a look at them as like
Maybe a feasibility. I've seen yeah, you can't stick it on a car and run it for a hundred thousand miles
No, just in terms of you know quality in your hand. Is there any of that?
We always we always get a sample. So business. So there's the tech guys that are doing product setup
They all they're all enthusiasts. So Julian's our our Porsche product specialist and he's
Been into it for many years worked for
An independent Porsche specialist before he came to us. I think he's been with us for about 15 years now
He's a yeah a long long service
guys
And yeah, he'll he'll sort of review all the qualities available pick the best kind of based on quality price and
Get the samples in check them over make sure they they look because they should and they they sit as they should
We don't always fit everything if we can fit it, we will do
Um, we've always stock it
Yeah, that's that's awesome. I mean, yeah, I've had the pleasure of meeting Julian a few times and he
He definitely knows his stuff. You know without without pinning a
Face or a character or personality to it. It's quite nice to
Hear that Barney because it feels like you know if it's good enough for you guys to you know
If you would stick it on your car, it's therefore on the website
Yeah, yeah, definitely. Yeah, we've always been about you know, would you fit it if you wouldn't and let's not stock it
Yeah, let's go back and think about it. How many new um sort of products do you add?
I don't know a week a month. What's the
um
Porsche is um because it's
I say fairly new it is fairly new for us compared to the sort of bw business
We are ramping that up quicker than we are with the other brand does well with it than vw. So
Yeah, I think we added about a thousand last year
Did you wow?
Yeah, I think we're aiming for
About 500 this year
Yeah, there's I've I've definitely noticed like with the 996 category
Browsing that all the times I do because bits are falling off it. Um before at lunch
But I've definitely noticed 996 offering. There's been a noticeable expansion there
yeah
Yeah, Julie's working on it all the time. I say it's a combination between reviewing the descriptions and and uh
All the sort of details around the part making sure that there's on point as possible adding new parts
Sourcing stuff and manufacturing stuff as well. So we've got a couple of guys that just work on manufacturing
So if there's something that we think there's enough demand for or the quality of the
Aftermarket offering is not up to scratch then we'll make it
Oh, okay. So you make it yourself. So you've actually got some heritage parts
Yeah, we we we work with other fact with factories. We don't actually manufacture, you know warehouse here, but we um
Yeah, we'll get the the drawings done. We'll get the
The samples made and then we'll get it manufactured by a factory
Excellent right and where where in the world is that done? Is that different places?
All over some in some in the uk sort of it's smaller run stuff
Um, it tends to be in the uk some stuff in in europe and some stuff in the far east
Brilliant
That's cool. What sort of stuff gets made in the uk. I'm quite quite intrigued
UK stuff tends to be sort of small sheet metal stuff
Yeah, um, well, we do get some gaskets and um
Um
Uh sort of machined
Polyurethane parts done in the uk
Yeah, that's cool. That's good to because here there's still a little bit of uk manufacturer going on
Yeah, there's a bit there. There's a bit there. Yeah
It's out there somewhere. Yeah
Yeah, I love it. Yeah, how um
In regards like obviously this post-covid world, I know it feels like quite a while ago barney
But yeah, from the consumer side
There's been rising costs obviously for everything but like particularly like with uh with automotive and whatnot
Like how do you battle that as a business because I can imagine that's a really tricky position for you to be in as well as us
Yeah, it's it's last couple of years has been really hard
The margins have been really squeezed by all the increases in costs
sipping um
Various taxes have been thrown at us. We had a new one last year cardboard tax
So all the cardboard waste that goes downstream to the the households
We get taxed on that now because we're producing that waste
So we have to be careful. We have to stay competitive. So we have to be really careful that we don't overprice ourselves
um watching the market
being as efficient as possible
and uh
Blogging the whip on the team
Yeah, yeah, okay
The guys all the guys here just all work really hard and are so enthusiastic about what they do
Do the best
Um 75
this uh, that's
Mostly in the uk we've got six or seven guys in germany, you know warehouse
Um, few people dotted around the world. We've got someone in france. We've got someone in indonesia
um
We've got someone in
Yeah, six or seven in germany
And what sort of tasks are they those guys that are dotted around are they sales or are they mostly sales? Yeah. Okay. Yeah
so, yeah, we've got um
The sort of warehouse team in germany. I think it's six people and then we've got German salesperson rich salesperson
I guess that um that german
distribution thing has come since brexit
Yeah, yeah, we've set it up. Um, just just before the end of 2020 and then yeah
um
Or 29 in 2019. Yeah, then covid hit in 2020
So we had to kind of set it up remotely which was a bit of a challenge
We couldn't travel to get over there. So fortunately we had two guys that
worked for us that had
relocated back to germany because of brexit and they helped set it up
But yeah, it's pretty challenging. It runs really smoothly now. We've got a good good range of stock out there
Good good team and it's getting along nicely
But yeah, it's been a been a tough couple of years with
the uh, the sort of fallout from brexit and covid
Yeah, yeah negotiating those that is that is choppy waters
But yeah, it was a great a great setup when when we visited if um, if you if you keep on at uh, a rate of expansion
Barney and julian needs a hand that i from in terms of like a roll for quality control and
I can just see you being so good at that mate because you know
Yeah, testing stuff and going no, that's rubbish. That's going out the window. This is really good
You you would I could just see you'd be all over that. Yeah, I would like that. I would relish that job. That'd be good
Really would well qc on new stuff. We do we sort of send stuff out to to trade customers and
And the enthusiasts so yeah sends a bit sure way to test
Yeah, yeah chucks chucks and bits my way. I can test some for you definitely
In this whole this whole thing needs a few bits. I'll give you a shout
I mean I have to say I've rocked a lot of the uh, the miler products through you guys on on
Little irish for a good few years now
And I cannot speak highly enough of what they do like we're particularly like with their, you know
Lubber arms and everything else the the warranty on it is
amazing it's like two years unlimited mileage and
Yeah, like they they the the price saving over genuine portion on that is massive
Absolutely massive and there are certain things that I've discussed this on youtube
Plenty of times. There are certain things. I like to buy like direct from the from the manufacturer
but like for for things like yeah those arms and and
replenishing the multi link suspension on it
They have done so well for
Crazy mileage road track winter use like properly properly amazing stuff that
Yeah, it's good stuff. I've got a lots of mileage bits on my car
No, it's great. It's great. It's great that you work so so closely with them and yeah again for for people listening at home
I can't I can't recommend that stuff enough to be honest with you. So yeah, um, that's good
What's what's next for heritage? What's uh, what's the horizon looking like if you've got big plans if you got more of the same
Yeah, more of the same pushing pushing more products onto the website
Expanding the range
More shows we're getting out there a bit more this year. We've got um as part of our 40th
anniversary celebrations will be
Hosting an event of some sort in the summer
Um, which will sort of cover off all the brands of video Porsche and Land Rover
A venue and date to be confirmed. Um, we'll be doing some other
Uh, sort of smaller events. We're taking heretics on the road this year. So we're doing one at like two detectives. Um
Which is uh, Cambridge Burwell Cambridge. We're doing one at the think the motorist in lead
Leads and then one over in
Gloucester. Yeah, so we're doing three HQ
and three on the road
Possibly some other the heritage. No, um, the motorist leads. That's where we went wasn't it Lee?
Yeah, that's a great setup there. You know, yeah, really good venue. Yeah, you have a good time there
Yeah, we did one there a couple of years ago and it was really well attended. Oh, yeah
Just get out of our local area a bit
So I'm facing some of the other parts of the country
um
Yeah, and possibly some appearances at some events, you know, just to wave the flag
And uh, give some free stuff out to our
Loyal customers
Nice quality. Did I did I hear a room that you're building a beetle race car for something or is that is that under wraps?
We are. Yes. Yeah, it's been sitting sat in the warehouse for a long time. So pre-covid again a lot of our projects and we've got shelf
Um before covid and we're just getting back on the case from now. So it's an old
beetle cup car that was owned by volts world magazine
um
Which we we stripped out welded up and painted and then it just got delved. So we've pulled it out
re-worlded some of the welding and um
It's
Yeah started to put it back together. I can't can't claim that I've actually done anything on it and so on I did
I did hold a spanner for someone
That's about it
A pasta spanner that was it. I think we're even to get that
Yeah, get that back out and get it on the track
I think we've got a 1776 engine built for it, which we ran up and it does run even though it's been set on the shelf for
five years
brilliant
So, yeah, it should be fun
Lots lots on the boil Barney lots on the boil. I always ask
Mr. Gregory when I speak to him, you know honorable mention to Andy there does such a fantastic job for you guys and I always say
You know Porsche is on the cusp of
Deeming like 997.2 is a classic as well and whatnot. Obviously your catalogue for Porsche is 356 to 997
and everything in between
Is is there ever like an appetite that you can foresee where you'll dip into maybe 991s or are you quite happy with the bookends where you are?
Um, I think it will come it'll come at some point at the moment. We're focusing on the current range
Um
Vehicles, but yeah, I think give it a year or two. Maybe we'll get into 991
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