I’ve always loved my macho toys, especially the home-built ones. From a mega Scalextric set with custom built slot cars at twelve years old, to our Rotorway project today. Thankfully, ‘Barbie’ didn’t feature too heavily in Matthew’s childhood either.

Here’s Baz and Milo. Baz eats welding sparks. Milo eats anything.

We get to play with toys like this every day. This is a customers car built by himself from one of our kits. Ferrari 348 engine and transmission.

Here’s another that we’re currently building for a customer. Ferrari V12 on a Porsche 996 6 speed transmission

Sweet sixteen with YME, a 328 cc 2 stroke Berkeley. Notice the headlamp cover missing from the RH wing - that’s where I whacked it, rebuilt it and cut my teeth on Fibreglass and Polyester resin. Check out the trendy haircut and Jaguar on the bonnet - cool?

My first build project when I was seventeen - a NORBSA Cafe Racer. BSA 650 cc Super Rocket engine in a Norton Featherbed frame. It was mostly just an assembly job but I made my first aluminium oil tank for it

‘84 RX7 Not strictly a build project but I loved this car and it’s Rotary engine.

Built this at 26. Played nicely but sounded crap. Used it for 5 minutes at a gig. It’s been hanging on the wall ever since.

Matthew and Ali with his Covin 911. Matthew is the one smiling. This was his first solo build. He even made a fair paint job with a mix-up of all the metallic left-overs from our paint shop.

Matthew at 8 years with his Trials Fantic and a few Trophies. He was already out-riding me!!

You toucha my car - I licka your face off!!

Our CanAm demonstrator. Ferrari 4.8 ltr V12 injection engine on a 911 transmission.

Matthew with his Sea-doo in the English Channel in Winter -in a wet suit! Hard man.

My daily driver ‘98 Suburban LT loaded with goodies. I carried those alloys home in four suitcases from Memphis. Well done American Airlines!

Here’s our family aviation link. My Dad (Matthew’s Grandfather)  with his RAF Harvard in 1943. Dad also flew Tiger Moths, Hurricanes and Dakotas in South Africa and Far East.

He’s 80 and still gets the odd fun flight for Birthdays.

UPDATE Sept 2005. It’s birthday time again and one of the very few ‘Pleasure Flight’ certified Harvards happens to be based at Rochester.

And sure enough, 61 years after his last Harvard sortie, the old bugger gets a flight  - didn’t enjoy it much though as you can see!!

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