Words: Nathan Chadwick | Photography: JD Classics
The JD Classics brand was relaunched at the recent Mille Miglia, four years after the administrators were called into the original JD Classics company due to a legal case.
Launched in 1987 and based in Maldon, Essex, UK, JD Classics garnered a reputation for high-quality restorations. JD Classics-restored cars were often seen at such concours as Pebble Beach, Amelia Island and Villa d’Este, among many others. The company also prepared and raced cars at the Le Mans Classic and Goodwood Revival; its ex-Fangio C-type has won back-to-back races at Monaco Historique, its Lister Costin was the victor in every single round of the Stirling Moss Trophy in 2017, and its E-type Lightweight won two consecutive RAC TT Celebration races at the Goodwood Revival. Then everything went sour.
The press release for the reincarnated JD Classics rather glosses over what happened next: “Due to difficulties off track, the company faced administrators in 2018 resulting in Woodham Mortimer being created, and today, under new management, Woodham Mortimer seeks to resurrect the best of British, the iconic global classic car brand that is JD Classics.”
Of course, there was rather more to it than that, which the uninitiated can read about here.
However, the new management is seeking to look forward: “When we bought Woodham Mortimer earlier this year, we found trophy cabinets full of awards given to the restoration and Competition Departments of JD Classics over many years,” said Nico Consari from ZCC Investments, owner of Woodham Mortimer. “Classic car enthusiasts the world over are aware of the history of JD Classics and its amazingly rich pedigree over many decades. We are totally committed to building on this heritage, and that is why we have strengthened and diversified our board to ensure we have the kind of leadership and strategic vision that will be instrumental in building on these great foundations and successes. As a classic car restorer and classic racing specialist, JD Classics was, and will be again, the best in the world.”
JD Classics is set to be a division of Woodham Mortimer, set up specifically to cater for classic restorations sales, events, racing and race support, with a 60-strong staff of engineers and technicians working out of a 65,000sq ft facility in Chelmsford, UK. We’ll have to wait a while to find out if this proves to be an own goal for Woodham Mortimer after several years of trying to distance itself from the recent history of JD Classics.
More details at www.jdclassics.com
