A Brief History

I have a passion for classic cars, the smell, the aura & style I try to pass onto people who may have not yet discovered these wonderful things. My passion is also for aircraft. Cars & aircraft are inexorably connected.


Whilst at school I skived off & cycled 6 miles to Hurn Airport & scrounged flights at the Air Traffic school, this gave me many hours in De Haviland Doves. You can't do that sort of thing now! When I left school I went to the passenger air terminal at Hurn & asked for a job. A few phone calls later I found myself working at Glos Air cleaning aircraft for £45 a week.

I soon applied for & joined the RAF as an aircraft technician working on many varieties of aircraft & helicopters, it must have been love for at that time I was only earning £15 a week.

The black & white picture above is me at 17 seeing in the first & new Scottish Aviation Bulldog to arrive at East Midlands University Air Squadron, RAF Newton, Nottinghamshire in 1974.


My first car was a Ford Anglia bought for £100 in 1974. A year later a bought a suit so that I could go to the bank manager & ask for a £200 loan to by a Triumph Herald. Can you imagine that now?

Towards the end of my time in the RAF I worked in an organisation designing, developing & testing special forces equipment systems for air drop out of C130 Hercules aircraft. We also did some other interesting stuff, such as moving a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Spitfire to Nellis AFB, for the USAF 50th Anniversary celibrations (see pic. I'm centre bottom)

This was a very exciting time especially as we worked a lot in California, Arizona & the Gulf of Mexico. It was whilst working in Arizona that I did a really silly thing. I agreed to jump out of a fully servicable & functioning aircraft at 12000 feet, free fall to 5000 feet & deploy the parachute which then felt like my balls were going to pop out of my ears, ouch. It is true, I have the photos for evidence, not of my balls but of me attached to a piece of string. My only defence for doing this was that I had consumed an amount of alcohol when asked 'John, you've never parachuted & you design & fit this kit for us. Isn't it about time you had a go?' It is at this point you must think of me as a complete lunatic & therefore would not be safe presenting a pub quiz never mind courses for professional people.



During my service in the RAF, my hobby was restoring classic cars. I have also been involved with the Jaguar drivers & Alfa Romeo Owners clubs & more recently I was Chairman of the Giulietta Register.


Once I left the RAF I built my own business selling, restoring, servicing, inspecting & valuing classic cars. I also started unique classic car courses within the trade. These courses include, 'How to Buy a Classic Car', 'How to be a Classic Car Dealer', 'How to maintain Your Classic' & A Day at the Auction'. I have built a reputation for excellence within the classic car trade. You see I can be sensible?





My passion is real. I wish to share this & my many experiences. You are welcome to come & share with me.

Kind regards

John Williams

email: johncharles5@hotmail.com 07967 203007