Specialist vehicle trades are being lost due to the aging nature of the current workforce, and the low adoption rates of these bespoke trades by young people coming through.
There’s also a need to attract people to the industry to secure its future, however, the cost of training for many small businesses is prohibitive.
One organisation that has recognised this dilemma, with plans to reverse the trend, is The Modern Classic Car Foundation, established by David Dyer.
Dyer, who operates a successful vehicle restoration business in NSW, has created an academy to train people with the skills they will need, across many trades, to ensure the future of the veteran, classic, hot rod and muscle car industries.
The Modern Classic Cars Foundation will provide skills training to apprentices across various trades relating to the specialist vehicle industry and ensure there are ample training opportunities.
MCCF will operate as a specialist vehicle mechanic and restoration company offering general vehicle maintenance, restorations and modification, smash repairs, engine machining and rebuilding along with vehicle and parts sales. The breadth of work provides plenty of training options.
It is not just for trainees or apprentices though; the programs are also targeted at skilled tradespeople looking to enter a new trade or increase their skill levels, as well as mature aged tradespeople with a passion for imparting their knowledge and skills and teaching apprentices to help secure the future of the industry.
Core skills training programs and services being offered by MCCF include motor mechanics, panel beating and spray painting, motor trimming and reupholstering, engine machining, auto-electrical, engineering as well as using new technologies in the industry.
Further information on the training programs is available through the MCCF, which can be contacted at david@modernclassiccars.com.au
Bentley GT Woody
Online vehicle seller Bring a Trailer recently sold one of its strangest listings: A 1:1 scale Bentley Continental GT display model, made of wood! What’s more it fetched A$473,000.
This piece of automotive art of a second-generation Bentley Continental GT is said to have been created by Olivier De Schrijver and was acquired by the seller, Bentley Indianapolis, as a showroom centrepiece in
2024 from Ode’s Design of Brussels, Belgium.
Two steel axles are bolted to wooden beams to form the main support structure or chassis for the model which has an exquisite, sculpted body and a highly detailed interior also made of timber.
The attention to detail is staggering with the GT featuring opening doors pivoting on exposed hinges, while the windows and headlight covers are fabricated from acrylic.
The interior features four individual seats, a dashboard, a full-length centre console, and door panels that mimic the appearance of the Continental’s cabin. Controls, gauges, vents, speakers and pedals are represented by multiple pieces of wood, and the floors were constructed from plywood panels. The wood steering wheel is linked to the front wheels through a rack-and-pinion steering linkage.
Wheels, tyres, lug bolt heads and brake discs are also constructed from wood, and they are mounted to steel supports with rotating hubs. Tread patterns have been carved into the outer circumference of the tyres.
This scale model is said to have been assembled from thousands of pieces of reclaimed marine-grade teak sculpted over the course of more than 3000 hours. Total weight is estimated at 2000 pounds.