Car restored in Bridgnorth takes award

A 1954 Lancia Aurelia,  restored by apprentices at Classic Motor Cars in Bridgnorth, has come third in its class in a virtual global concours that has raised in excess of £30,000 pounds for UNICEF.

The car was one of hundreds from around the world entered in the Concours and came third in the post war grand tourer  class. Winner of the Concours was the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR ‘722’ which Stirling Moss drove to victory in the 1955 Mille Miglia.

There were 245 cars entered into the concours, in 18 separate classes, ranging from pre-war preservation to 1980s supercars. A panel of expert judges was assigned to each class, to arrive at a Best of Class, then these cars went through to the final round of judging.

The team of more than 40 judges included rock legend Nick Mason from Pink Floyd, Olympic cyclist and UNICEF ambassador Sir Chris Hoy, five-times Le Mans winner Derek Bell, Chasing Classic Cars TV star Wayne Carini, Goodwood's The Duke of Richmond, Andrea Zagato of the famous design house, Hagerty CEO McKeel Hagerty, classic dealer Gregor Fisken, racer Lyn St James and Pebble Beach concours chairman Sandra Button.

David Barzilay, who owns the car,  and is a director at the firm, which is based on the Stanmore Business Park in Bridgnorth, said: “It’s great that the car came third. It was up against vehicles from all over the world including the USA.

“It is a huge tribute to the apprentices who have worked on the car during its four-year restoration, including local lads Harry Ruffell-Hazell, Ben Morris, and Hayden Cooper.

David said: “CMC is renowned for its restoration of classic cars and is the only company to have won restoration of the year twice. This award is special as it’s the first one that this car has won, and it would not have received it without the work of many apprentices who have worked on the vehicle during the restoration process.”

Nigel Woodward, managing director of Classic Motor Cars said: “I am immensely proud of the achievement of our apprentices. To receive global recognition at this level so early in their careers can only spur them on to even greater things”. 

Pic credit: Tom Clutterbuck