Master Mechanics: Classic Performance Engineering

Bicester Heritage, the former RAF base turned classic car hub, is a compound of hangars and brick buildings in Oxfordshire that’s earned well-deserved international acclaim for its role in the vintage car world. Occupied by an array of restoration workshops, specialist mechanics, and garages in the business of historic racing, it’s a place with no lack of special cars and talented engineers. In this week’s film, we visit one of the exemplary business in Bicester, Classic Performance Engineering.
Founded in the 1990s by Martin Greaves, the restoration and race prep shop has found success over the decades by focusing first and foremost on doing justice to the cars, not by chasing profit margins to the point of compromise. Martin was the kind of kid who took apart and rebuilt anything he could get his hands on, and when he grew up a little bit he built on his natural curiosity, gaining practical engineering experience as a teenager in a student work experience program.
The university education that followed bolstered his previous hands-on work with theory and technical skills, and when Martin finished his schooling he put his cumulative talents to work pursuing a career that revolved around what he loved: sports and racing cars. His first job in the field was with an Aston Martin specialist, but his next position was with a shop that worked with all kinds of marques, which made Martin realize that a business could work without focusing too much on certain marques or types of cars.
Martin says that if he hadn’t started Classic Performance Engineering, what’s now his career would have still been his hobby. He’s in this industry to make a living, but he loves the work beyond the point of thinking of it in those terms alone. He loves what he does, and he’s the kind of person who will stay the extra few hours to make sure something is done just right, finding himself alone at midnight or later, exhausted but always happy to be in the “best toy box in the world.”
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[@motorcyclebutslow5967]

Am I the only one who noticed the sound editing issues?

[@larsstougaard7097]

Not me, but noticed a man with an incredible deep voice at 3.45 min., would love to hear him sing 😁✌

[@chadderton]

I noticed some sound issues along with the excessively loud piano being played over his voice.

[@tedsarmiento]

Yes I noticed the audio quality is not as “polished” as it usually is 🤷‍♂️

[@CanadianClassicCarNut]

@@larsstougaard7097 Lord Vader, your Aston Martin is ready. :)

[@larsstougaard7097]

@@CanadianClassicCarNut Ha ha 😄👍 May the force be with you ....the dark force 🏴‍☠️

[@mikeshakespeare7294]

Dreadful sound editing and music choice. Please re-edit and do justice to this gentleman's business.

[@OnlyARoadtripAway]

I am really sorry they didn‘t use the final version of the film. This is no finished piece, far from it.

[@nissanslut7870]

Wym? 😆

[@tossedsaladandscrambledegg8576]

Awesome! Thank you for bringing back the owner/business interviews.

[@maneki9neko]

I so love hearing from these engineer-craftsmen who are completely engaged in their disciplines, and always have been. They are marvelous people. Just treasures.

[@M4Hamm]

I hope Petrolicious reissues the video after audio editing is corrected.

[@irvinator2173]

Glad to see a change to old format!

[@rileyberkowitz]

Does this mean old petrolicious is coming back? Like letting the owners talk? That would be awesome and I'd definitely start watching again

[@JohnnyTHolland]

No 'Old' Petrolicious died with the founders Afshin and Kika due to the daft American 'woke' world so this is the last of the best...

[@tismeDenis]

What a toy box indeed 😍

[@devilgames2217]

This is the way!

[@CineGui]

I love petrolicious! I get to know so many wonderfull stories through here

[@johnboydTx]

Hand crafted works of art A lost art form of pride and joy of creating a Master piece Thank you sir

[@SnakeyUk08]

Salutes the Uk`s " men in sheds" businesses

[@leylandjaw]

I think passion is the best business model

[@benwood8569]

Yes. I’m writing this one down!

[@JohnnyTHolland]

What a beautiful film and this very much matches the ethos, professionalism and passion of this company.

[@93455Driver]

Must be an awesome feeling to resurrect a classic car.

[@johnnichols9056]

It is. Worth doing at least once.

[@putragiarta]

Yep Martin you the man 👍

[@creeg8303]

There's nothing like working on a pre-digital car.

[@TheInfamousHotRodFarm]

Hell yeah brother!

[@twcmaker]

The best TOY BOX in the world 👌❤️

[@lasseellingsen4779]

Awesome video!

[@Houthiandtheblowfish]

Really great 👍

[@aprescoups4593]

Nice nice

[@antoninlafon6485]

What is the name of the student work experience program that Martin did ?

[@cnat_sepll]

I've sat inside a Fafnir similar to that at 0:25 , wonder if its the same one

[@geoffreycarter3981]

Petrolicious keeps surprising me with how downhill it keeps going. What a great opportunity to film this master of his trade but it seems like they’re relying on their name and nice gear while trying to be too artist with shots and music. Needs more balance like the old videos.

[@OnlyARoadtripAway]

Given I made this - they didn‘t upload the final version. This was a first draft.

[@geoffreycarter3981]

@@OnlyARoadtripAway you’re a really talented person I’m just surprised it wasn’t more polished here!

[@yakovendelman7659]

@@OnlyARoadtripAway That must suck seeing your work with such potential be uploaded unfinished... You should demand they take it down and upload the proper version

[@JohnnyTHolland]

@@OnlyARoadtripAway Hi DZE - just sent the link to Martin Greaves and he loves the film and thinks it really captured his style and the business ethos. I see you are busy doing fascinating things with your Porsche now after the Range Rover adventure ?! (I have £10k-£20k for a UK film I think you should make)

[@CineGui]

Hope one day my car will make into a video here

[@jordanabraham1290]

Video 10 - Audio 4.

[@rodrigogutierrezreyes4702]

What happened with the audio editing guys? People speaking in the background, the music too loud while he was speaking, white noise on the background as well. Great story poor editing to make it shine.

[@jareknowak8712]

👍

[@ramarajp5096]

Me farmer in India I want this one. One day I will??

[@thhall459]

I hope you do, brother. Bless you.

[@yakovendelman7659]

Maybe if you get recolonized you can steal one

[@amersfoortsefotograa]

backgroundmusic is too loud

[@TiagoRuivo]

The shots are too close. Visually not catching. And very few imagens of real cars. Disappointing

[@SMlFFY85]

WTF was with the weird voices?

[@GeSchmidtt]

That depth of field focus panning technique (whatever you call it) is horribly distracting. Of course great content as always, but please don't do that again.

[@thhall459]

I politely disagree. I think this is an interesting photographic technique that enhances this video.

[@colemancalgary5260]

These are real mechanics how does jack Olsen have is own video here? What a joke!

[@jpkatz1435]

You are showing us random shots that don't have an explaining narritive, what a wasted oppertunity. So uselessly "artsy".