HISTORIC COMPETITION SERVICES

Dream workshop

Few things will test your engineering adaptability, and your patience, like working on a pre-War car. Julian Messent, of Historic Competition Services, guides us around his Belgian workshop full of old machines

‘ T he Twenties to the early Fifties, that’ s really our era. After that, then they get easy, in my opinion.’ Julian Messent, the Founder, Director and Chief Engineer of Historic Competition Services( HCS), relishes a challenge when it comes to rebuilding an engine.

The ease of buying spare parts takes the fun out of it.‘ Modern cars are fairly easy, whereas the pre-War cars, you generally have to make everything. No parts ever fit.

‘ Most of the cars we’ re dealing with are 80 to 90 years old, and over that time, even if they were standard to begin with,

44 The Engine Rebuilder Issue 04