LIFE IN THE FAST LANE


Daniel Evans meets a man with the dream job O


NE OF THE DELIGHTS of walking around Mayfair is the chance


it gives you to admire some of the best cars in Britain, if not the world. It is a magnet for all the glamour and glitz of the motoring elite. But if there is one corner which has more than its fair share it is the JD Classics showroom in Mount Row, just a stone’s throw from Savile Row and opposite The Connaught hotel.


The business, set up in 1987


by Derek Hood, expanded into the showroom in 2014 and the company’s current business


18 SAVILE ROW STYLE MAGAZINE


director James Bath is delighted with how it has gone so far. “Our Mayfair showroom is the shop window to our global business,” he says. “At any one time we have up to 12 cars on display ranging from European classic cars of the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s through to the modern day, from entry-level classics (Mini Coopers, Jaguar Mark 2s) to 4000+ hour concours- restored Ferraris, Jaguars and Aston Martins. “Anyone is welcome to come in and enjoy the cars up close and real enthusiasts can visit our main operation in Maldon where we


have a team of 75 craftsmen and technicians working on concours restorations, preparing race cars, as well as having a further 100 cars on display.” James has been obsessed with


cars from a young age. He said: “I nearly ended up working in the industry after a couple of work experience stints with Top Gear and What Car? magazines but eventually went into finance where I spent the last 12 years helping small and medium-size businesses develop their strategy and execute on their ambitions for growth. When the opportunity to combine


At any one time there will be up to 12 cars on display ranging from European classic cars of the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s through to the modern day, from entry-level classics (Mini Coopers, Jaguar Mark 2s) to 4000+ hour concours- restored Ferraris, Jaguars and Aston Martins


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