2019-20 Annual Report Final - Flipbook - Page 38
Robert Siemsen
To study and further my
understanding in the craft of
traditional Coachbuilding - UK
This Churchill Fellowship gave me
a unique opportunity to gain a
working experience in the traditional
coachbuilding workshops of England,
to investigate the inner workings of the
businesses but also the craftsmen who
work inside them. I wanted to witness
firsthand the skills and techniques
used in building car bodies that have
been gleaned and passed down
through generations during the past
century, so that I in turn, can do the
same.
The Fellowship also allowed me to
research and understand how such
labour-intensive businesses can
operate in contemporary economies.
I believe that understanding the
business of coachbuilding or
restoring car bodies, is becoming
almost as important as the hand skills
themselves, and I intend to find out
what has enabled these companies to
be in business for fifty years or more.
On embarking on this Churchill
Fellowship, I intend to find the balance
between taking far too long on a
project and it running into problems
with costs, and rushing or taking
shortcuts on a project. The ultimate
goal being handing a finished car
body back to a pleased client.
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2019-20 Annual Report
I have always been of the belief that
as the halcyon era of coachbuilding
becomes out of reach of living
memory my time to learn this craft
in England was slowly dwindling. I
fear that the loss of skills, culture and
knowledge associated with traditional
coachbuilding and panel beating work
is becoming ever so more increasingly
real. While the subject of body
making or ‘metal shaping’ tend to be
becoming ever increasingly broad, the
small sub-culture of traditional English
panel beating and coachbuilding has
remained intact within a very small
mile radius in England.
Whether you are talking preceding
or post-war coachbuilding, the
English firms are held in the highest
regard. The simple design, keen eye
for line and quality of workmanship
were always the earmarks of British
coachbuilders. It is never greatly
argued that they have throughout
the past century always been
acknowledged as the best in the
world.
My travels from August to November
of 2019 took me to Surrey to meet Carl
Neville, ex AC Cars, to learn about the
history and culture of AC and what is
was like to work in such a place.
I travelled to Leamington Spa to
work with JME Healeys in the historic
Cape Works building to learn about
the famous marque and the worldrenowned work the company has
achieved.
To further my own skills in the craft of
shaping sheet metal, I worked under
the guidance of some of the best Panel
Beaters in the world. In Northampton
I worked with Shapecraft Classic
Motor Bodies alongside Clive Smart,
Phil Linnel, Paul Mackenzie, Steve
Matthewman and Ricky Matthewman.
In Stanwick, Northamptonshire, I
worked with Luke Chapman and
his father Brian at Chapman Classic
Panels.
In Olney, Buckinghamshire, I worked
with Bodylines Ltd alongside Alan
Pointer, Paul Temple, Richard Trasler,
Martyn Higgens and Mark Harrison, all
of whom had worked for either Aston
Martin in Newport Pagnell or Airflow
Streamlines of Northampton. Alan
Pointer also worked for Mulliner Park
Ward of Williesden.
I travelled to Coventry to work with
Darren Welsh of Creative Classics and
onto Nuneaton to spend a day with
James Smith of RS Panels.
Finally, my Fellowship took me south
to the Hamlet of Ower in the New
Forest District of Hampshire to work
with Vic Mouland and Gary Yates.
Their company Mouland & Yates
specialises in the manufacturing of
bespoke car bodies.
Every single one of these companies
had a history of learning skills from
great tradesman of the past and in
turn were all respectively passing it
forward to the next generation,
myself included.