Master Mechanics: Kingsbury Racing Shop

In the compound of workshops, garages, hangars, and runways that constitute Bicester Heritage, one has no trouble feeling connected to British history. Today the former wartime RAF facility is home to a collective of businesses dedicated to the classic car and motorcycle scene, ranging from restorations to full-on race prep. Few are as quintessentially English as Kingsbury Racing Shop.
Led by engineer and owner Ewen Getley, Kingsbury’s focus is on early W.O. Bentley-designed cars from the marque’s early history. Although some of the machinery is over a century old now, Getley and his team of specialists would hardly call their work routine. As Getley puts it, “Every morning you come in, you find something new to do.”
Whether it’s a restoration of a model destined for touring on public roads or building a car specifically to use in historic racing events, the work that comes out of Kingsbury is always up to the same standard-no matter the use case, the cars exit the workshop ready for the extremes. The thinking is sound: If a motor runs happy and healthy at top speed, it will also work for crushing the countryside in a more leisurely tachometer reading.
Kingsbury has the staff and facilities to expand the scope of its work, but Getley prefers to keep the operations aimed at Bentley. “I’m interested in Bugattis, and Alfa Romeos, beautiful cars like that,” he says, “but really, in vintage cars, Bentley is what I grew up with, what I know, and what I love. They can race, they can rally, they can hill climb, they can go on-road, they can go off-road, and they can do it all very well. They’re just really well engineered cars.”
Well-engineered from the outset, but often modified during the course of their lives at points when their values were relatively minuscule, these old Bentleys often come to Kingsbury not to have their past erased in a full restoration, but revived. Getley describes the thinking behind the work as, “Restore where you can, replace where you must. Ultimately you want to end up with a car that looks like you haven’t touched it-much more difficult than making a shiny car, believe me.”
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[@justinturner4850]

No matter what your FAVORITE type of Motorsport is. No matter what your FAVORITE type of car. If you are a TRUE enthusiast, you can really appreciate this guys work and the cars that come out of his shop.

[@groberts1780]

"Restore where you can, replace where you must" Anyone involved in the old car scene would do well to heed this advice. Well done.

[@geemanbmw]

Thank you Petrolicious for not making another paid host do a video. But every once in awhile that's cool but to have true people who either own or work on cars talk for themselves is the best recipe. Thank you lovely video

[@stephen-john1677]

Preach 🙌🏿

[@Nogitaman]

Thanks for "hooning" it like that! 👍🏻 Never seen that kind of driving undertaken with a vintage Bentley before - impressive!! 👏🏻

[@knut-hinrichqwalter2463]

All the beasts from Crickelwood are made for be driven fast,not for standing to death in a climate chamber (prisoner!) as an investment.

[@ronitsingh85]

Now thats what you call a proper testing after all that a good restoration/tuning!

[@davidcharlesiannotti3800]

An absolutely beautiful automobile well cared for by a gentleman who takes pride in his craft; a true artiste. Well done Petrolicious. Thanks for sharing this beautiful video.👍

[@SnakeyUk08]

The world needs guys like this no matter what country or whatever brand they specialise in we need to be able to see these historic master pieces to remind us where we come from before the electric domestic cars take over the world in the near future

[@nitroboy2]

not on my watch , petrol heads will never drive electric crap . i will maintain my oldtimers as long as possible +- 50 years

[@mitchellsteele3878]

Lovely to watch your precision engineering and the quality of care that you take, a huge amount of man hours is needed for these stunning cars, knowing from past experience working on pre war Bentley myself, 10 yrs with Fiennes restoration, all the best in future projects, thanks for this lovely video, cheers 👍

[@cutl00senc]

Having spent most of my life around some pretty old cars….this video brings me joy beyond words.

[@jakespeed63]

Incredible passion such as this, is a rare commodity, nowadays. Passion before paycheck. Love it!!!

[@elliotsimpson1148]

I can promise you the pay checks for this kind of work are plenty good enough. I have a pre war Bentley there is no such thing as a poor renovator. They are great at what they do but it’s definitely not charity work. To give you an idea a rebuild is around 50,000.

[@MegaSomveer]

Love your perspective on Engineering!

[@NoPrivateProperty]

combustion is a natural phenomenon which man has managed to exploit with cobbled together contraptions, ultimately failing to produce anything remotely sustainable, as he poisons his own habitat. just like the stupid rodents that shit and piss over their own food.

[@stratocaster1greg]

My shop and bank account are modest so I put model steam engines on antique metal toys. Now Im putting an Empire steam engine on a Meccano constructor car. I machine the sprockets, rims, everything for the chain drive. I draw inspiration from folks like you. Thanks Sir!

[@markg1531]

Sounds like great fun to me!

[@antgarcia62]

5:58 "Restore where you can and replace where you must." Why do I keep thinking about those words? Great film and beautifully shot! This is why I subscribed.

[@michaeldera4298]

I loved repairing things and recognising the reasons how things failed . Modifying such faults are an ongoing improvement of design.

[@alexenns3203]

Bentley is the closest thing to porsche as far as they're quality of build and they're perfection. Love these videos

[@henrig4409]

Best quote from this video: "every car is different and every car is the same" This has such a deep meaning and can be applied to a lot of other cases..

[@610dave]

The quality of these films are unmatched. Beautifully edited; visually spectacular and the music is blended perfectly. Wonderful.

[@djmusk6015]

A good ethos. Preparation, preparation, preparation. Splendid.

[@Fredcharest]

If only I could like more then one time ! I LOVE the speech in the start, pretty much how it goes in my head. Not everybody can get that

[@GBBIII]

Really great vid. So wonderful that this fellow can do what he does. I'm reminded of what E. Bugatti said..."Bentley makes the world's fastest trucks"

[@Adam151082]

I LOVE your style of videos 👌🏼

[@stephen-john1677]

Story telling at it's best 🙏🏿, please keep this format

[@GrotrianSeiler]

The content of this video is one of your best.

[@andrewanderson5297]

I really enjoyed listening to this gentleman's perspective on Engineering and restoration.

[@phillipwalker3098]

Absolutely fantastic, love the historic preservation of the art of preserving these beautiful racing machines.

[@owenmorgan857]

Truly amazing engineering

[@MarcosGazza]

One of the Go-To places to visit at Bicester on scramble day, a beautiful workshop with beautiful cars in almost a 'freeze in time'.

[@bravofoxable]

All hail the Mechanical Engineers 🙌🏻

[@TSMagnum82]

Engineers of all disciplines!

[@pralhadmundargi6503]

Beautiful video and explanation of cars from the brass era

[@jasonwright9555]

Brilliant video and what a fantastic bloke and garage. I’m an engineer and have worked in Motorsport for 20 years, F1, Le Mans and now WRC......BUT i’d give my left nut to work at that place!

[@keltondeoliveira]

Possibly the finnest video in this channel. Congratulations to camera operator and editor.

[@user-qw1kl9qe6h]

Just........absolutely.........brilliant.........

[@kevin_gross]

Beautifully said, beautifully shot, beautiful cars...

[@shankarbalan3813]

Beautiful artistry….precision engineering is something truly wonderful

[@gasparini76]

Sad you guys don't have a KZbin channel. Your garage is absolutely a gem.

[@derekmk3]

if you look up the word ART in the dictionary, it describes an expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in visual form, to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power. I agree with this fully when you look at vintage cars, planes or machinery. not just the visual aspect but the noise, the smell the feel, the sensation when you drive, fly or operate. In my opinion, To be ART is to feel emotion, the era of beautiful cars has gone I feel, things are created to fill a need or market demand rather than to stimulate, there are too many rules and regulations nowadays. Watching petrolicious videos gives me hope, that the ART will one day return and make us feel the true emotion of the internal combustion engine wrapped in a beautiful shell.

[@hahaha9076]

Thankyou. Terrific to see inside.

[@garykinsley1462]

Beautiful guys - well done! Keep up the good work. Real mechanics at their best - please give more tech details, sounds nerdy but it's what adds the true value and worth saving for posterity.

[@Biokemist-o3k]

Super cool video!! I have been assembling a machine shop to support my KZbin channel that I will be starting in the next couple months...The first project is w the build of a 1928 Morgan RIP GN special 3 wheeler with 4 wheels. I am using an experimental aircraft opposed twin supercharged engine. This will be mated to an MG 4 speed manual gearbox with a 2 piece hand cast aluminum adapter. This will be connected to an MG differential with beautiful wire wheels. The frame I stood over steel and will have aircraft cloth stretched over and sprayed with plasticizer. This will have a boat tail look and is essentially a 20's airplane without a propeller or wings. There is only one other in existence and Charlie Martin races it in the UK. The next project lined up is the building of a Brooklands style cycle car similar to the Pembleton. This will have a BMW R-100 engine in the front and four wheels with gorgeous leather interior and even space for luggage. I look forward to seeing everyone over at the channel when it gets warm out enough to be in the barn in Pennsylvania .....

[@hcolin4165]

Great truth to a master of putting it ALL together, just do it right once!!!! Koo!

[@kurtwomack6473]

The beginning was very inspirational, for any pursuit. Your videos always end too quickly.

[@johnboydTx]

Well done sir a true artist...

[@seatsotoca]

Well done!! Good job and great way of life/philosophy. I thought that The Best engines at WWI was Hispano Suiza and Rolls Royce. Regards from Europe Barcelona Spain

[@BV-P]

Really miss the videos like this

[@RusteeUte]

Another beautiful, inspirational production from Petrolicious. Loved the wheelie and tyre smoke, that old girl has some muscle under her skirt :D

[@infidel900rr]

This is beautiful. thank you.

[@RapidRoscoe]

Gorgeous videography in this one.

[@delft72]

Simply lovely.

[@kareyriggs1018]

Imagine doing what you love and getting paid !

[@DavidMBanes]

Great to see a shop just up the road from us, it is at Bicester isn't it? Just remember my Airfix supercharged Bentley I made as a lad.

[@drewdavis4614]

Hooraay for you Lads!!!!

[@riderofthemark6661]

Beautiful video thanks!

[@sakibqureshi9908]

Fantastic videography and content much love from India😇

[@atreyac5384]

namaste ji :)

[@beegee22]

Fabulous!

[@SB-kw6oo]

Beautiful

[@redstone31]

no audio after 5:42

[@bertiewooster3326]

The best...by far , engineering workshop in Buckinghamshire only charges £35 per hour it is not at Bicester which is overpriced due to overheads shop around don't get sucked in by gloss !

[@italsounds001]

This is a great video, it was a great video in 2019 (when it was made) for the members series too, my question is, when are petrolicious going to make a NEW video? Or is that side of the business gone forever?

[@jameshay469]

I just want to spend my life being involved in this kind of thing.

[@atupe]

Beautifully made video. Where do you guys get the music for your videos?

[@dopeytripod]

great video

[@BahnstormerUK]

Superb

[@Mattia.1973]

Lovely

[@Anirossa]

Feel the same way about 80s BMWs, proper vintage Bentley are amazing, the ones today, I think is mostly junk, same as with BMW was nicer driving machines until the 90s, where they alle turned disposable... :(

[@CarChatPodcast]

Love it

[@s_t_r_a_y_e_d]

this man lives in a Studio Ghibli movie

[@marktossell8461]

Craftsmanship.

[@spellacy29]

Wonderful ethos

[@henrikcarlsen1881]

Like listening to Guy Martin at half speed. Same passion.

[@benhur_9377]

👍❤️

[@wadecarrwcc]

Colin Firth builds cars too?

[@hiroye7208]

His voice is like Guy Martin^^

[@SnakeyUk08]

really? you need your ears washing out.......

[@77lassiter15]

Theres a big difference between German and British engineers the English talk and talk and talk and talk and they always get it half ass the Germans however actually are engineers and fix it right the first time

[@bradcollins9647]

06:28 What model is that?

[@highfive55]

✌️

[@TeleCaster66]

But we never went to the moon...Great video though.

[@user-xw8sg4yd2l]

👍👍🇬🇷🇬🇷

[@toomanyhobbies2011]

Just another commercial for a high-priced restoration shop. I guess his reputation precedes him...

[@becomingabetterhuman.2994]

Bra engineering is a method of problem solving...

[@pwddogman]

Would really like to see more details, more facts, and not 7 minutes of Engineering Coaching.

[@mohba01]

lapping valves with grinding paste-like the old school way, by hand. kids nowadays won't even understand this video. I pity the misguided young.

[@eamonnmckeown6770]

I thought engineering was fiddling with paper clips and pissing off end users like mechanics. lol.

[@1970DAH]

I love people who work to keep automotive history a living thing, but this man's analogy at the outset of this video was rubbish. Why compare yourself to invention of new technology when you're dedicated to maintaining the old?

[@m9ckycobbs373]

This guy is just telling how posh he is. We want to see car not rambling about engineering. We know don’t tell us! We want to see the cars

[@julianv.5848]

🤣😂🤣😂🤣Well Mr Ewen Getley at the Kingsbury Racing Shop wartime RAF Facility...? The Bently Brand belongs to the '''Volkswagen Group''' since 1998 when it went bust! And the VW Group have ''ree kindeled'' the Bently Brand to what it has become tooday, I respect the Bently Brand and meny other Brands two, but you shuld get your facts right and stop sipping ''internet'' yarns if you consider your self a Automotive engenieer and War Historian, to be on the Petrolicious web blog...? Let my ''rectifiy you and your empire'' on ''Aircraft engines'' during World War I, the ''Hispano-Suiza'' was the Nº 1 Airo Engine Built during WW I...? Hispano-Suiza piston aero-engines were the dominant engines in the war and produced by Hispano-Suiza in France, Spain, and '''under licence''' in the ''United Kingdom'', the United States and Russia from the First World War through to the 1950s. Development of these engines started with the very successful V-8 engines which introduced many new features which ensured the success of the Hispano-Suiza line. and that is the history of WW I airo engines built in Britain toled to you By a Republican Scot!! Free Scotland!! 💯Form your Aurocratic unionist Lies🤮🤮.... 🎱