The Perfect Valentines Day Gift.

Treat your loved one to a day out on one of our classic sports cars. You can book a day or buy a gift voucher giving your loved one a whole year to choose a special day out in sunny Devon. Take a look at our website for more information abut our ange of special classic cars available for self drive hire in South Devon or give us a call on 07918715039 for a chat about your requirements.

Meryl outside the Two Bridges Hotel Dartmoor

Filming at the Two Bridges Hotel Dartmoor

 

 

Filming at the Two Bridges Hotel.

Mike Coombes from the Two Bridges Hotel contacted me several weeks ago to see if they could use Meryl for a promotional video in return for working together offering classic car hire to visitors to Dartmoor. I thought this was a great idea, the Two Bridges is a beautiful Hotel right in the heart of Dartmoor and what better way to enjoy the Moors and South Devon than in a classic or modern open top car. We had to wait a few weeks for the weather to be kind but last week promised some real Devon sunshine so the filming was set up for Thursday afternoon. The filming was being done by Wildhorse Films and covered a number of scenarios with the guests arriving, having lunch, dinner etc. We did a number of sequences filming Meryl driving across the Moor and the arriving at the Hotel over the famous two bridges. The sun shone and Meryl really looked the part. On the second day the film crew used a drone to film Meryl from the air, This was fascinating, but it also attracted a crowd which we tried to disperse or shoot around. I hope the results are as good as it all looked from where I was standing. I am really looking forward to working with Mike at Two Bridges offering Self Drive Classic Cars to the Hotel guests as part of the excellent facilities available at the hotel - including the best cream tea in Devon!

Fathers Day June 19th 2016

Why not make this fathers day one to remember!

Self Drive Classics offers a selection of both classic and modern saloons and convertibles for you to enjoy. Hire a classic Triumph MG or Morris Minor for a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Perhaps you fancy something a bit more exciting like our Porsche Boxster or the Alfa Romeo GTV. Maybe you just fancy a bit of fun in the sun with the family or a few friends in a Jeep Wrangler. Whatever you fancy we can make fathers day special so give us a call 07918715039 or visit the website at www.selfdriveclassics.co.uk

Finally - The Big Move

I rented my first unit in Devon in October last year on a short lease. It was a bit of an education as the unit needed a lot of work - all of which was to be done / paid for by me! It seems commercial property letting is not governed by the same rules as residential i.e. its fine to let property with the electric cut off and the wiring condemned and the Loo's broken and the roof leaking etc .. This unit was 1200 sq feet taking 6 cars at a push so it gave me somewhere to move my cars too and to store the new cars I had bought in Devon. In April I found a new unit at Wrangerton business park. Its an old building that stands alone and looks like a 1950's fire station, its ideal for a classic car business. It needs work but in this case the Landlord is also helping out having had the place painted inside and rewired. The new unit is over 2000 sq feet so I now have enough room for storage and workshop so this meant moving my workshop from Lichfield to Wrangerton. 12 years of accumulated tools, spares and classic car bits and bobs can take some shifting! Not to mention the remaining classic cars and project classic cars that need to be transported at £400 a time. I hired a Luton backed van from Ivybridge and it took two back breaking trips to get everything sorted, loaded and unloaded. I had to be ruthless in chucking out bits I had been keeping 'just in case' or 'for the next classic car project' selling off some of the stuff to people on site or even leaving it for others to sell and take the money - better than transporting it all south. I unloaded the last of the workshop stuff last night (still aching all over!) so now I'll be spending a few days getting it all sorted and finding a place for everything but now www.selfdriveclassics.co.uk is officially located at Wrangerton Business Park. I have lived in Lichfield for 30 years and run a business from Blythe Farm for over 12 years so its the end of a era for me - time to close the book and concentrate of "Steve's adventures in Devon". Self Drive Classics is going to be a very different business here in Devon. Instead of a collection of 60's favourites I have set up a mixture of everyday classics, modern roadsters and fun cars so we can see what people go for. I will be working hardest on the tourist market getting the idea out there that you can enjoy driving in Devon in something a bit special. It will be tough starting again both personally and for the business but sometimes you just have to take the plunge - planned or not!

New Unit at Wrangerton (boat has now been moved!)

My 1970 Dodge Challenger project

My Lotus Europa Project

Moving to Devon

Self Drive Classics Ltd is moving its car hire operation from its original base at Hamstall Ridware near Lichfield to Ivybridge in south Devon. Self Drive classics was established in 2004 and has been successfully hiring classic cars to customers from all over the UK for the past 11 years. The move to Devon is largely for personal reasons but it does give us the opportunity to refresh the business and a great excuse to go out and buy some more cars. 

The theme has been expanded to now include more modern sports car and a few 'fun' cars to make the holiday even more special. We have added a Porsche Boxster and an Alfa Romeo GTV spider for those who want style and performance and a little more comfort than you get in a 60's MG. For the surfer dudes and fun lovers we have a great Jeep Wrangler with a fully removable roof and sides so you can make the most of the Devon sunshine with the security of a full roll cage (also useful for attaching the surfboards). 

The classic fleet is getting refreshed too we expect to add a few more popular classics so watch this space.

As well as classic and sports car hire we have set up www.devonclassicweddingcars.co.uk offering a 1965 Zodiac, a 1968 Mercedes 250se and a Morris Minor convertible as chauffeur driven wedding cars in the south Devon area. Perfect for those who want to do things a little different to the usual wedding. 

The wedding cars and web site are all up and running and we expect to have the hire business established by next spring. 

We want to thank all of those wonderful people who have supported us over the years, spares suppliers, mechanics, specialists and, of course, the hundreds of happy customers who have experienced our classic cars over the past 11 years. So if any of you find your self in Devon then please pop in and say hello!

Why Classic Car Hire Is So Popular For Fans Of The Austin Healey ‘Frogeye’ Sprite

When the Austin Healey ‘frogeye’ Sprite was introduced in 1958, a brand new trend was started when sports car driving became available to the masses. This 2-seater sports car was designed by Donald Healey, with the purpose of being an affordable model “a chap could keep in his bike shed”. Its reasonable price combined the huge grin created by its ‘frogeye’ headlights and grille made sure it was an immediate hit in the motoring world.

Over 50 years later and 42 years since production of the ‘frogeye’ Sprite ceased, this small, quirky British classic continues to capture the hearts of many. Though the Austin Healey Sprite as well as the MG Midget range continued to develop, whilst keeping the original idea alive, it is the ‘frogeye’ Sprite that remains the most loved due to its ‘fun’ appeal and appearance. Due to the continued enthusiasm all over the world, more and more drivers consider classic car hire to fulfil their dream of experiencing the legendary little car.

For those fans not lucky enough to be members of the ‘frogeye’ owners club, classic car hire is an exciting opportunity. By hiring a car, fans are able to enjoy everything that they love about the ‘frogeye’ Sprite, for a reasonable and affordable price, just like it was originally meant to be. For motorists, there is nothing better than journeying through the quiet British roads for a day, or even a weekend in the legendary Sprite, greeting other cars with a friendly smile.

Hiring a ‘frogeye’ Sprite, or another popular British classic car allows people to truly enjoy driving, and experience the freedom of motorists of the past. Alongside the popularity of ‘frogeye’ hire, more and more people are also looking to enjoy another British favourite, the MorrisMinor. One of the longest running British production cars, built from 1948 to 1971, the ‘Magic Moggie’ as it is known as by diehard fans, can also be enjoyed for a reasonable price for those craving a true British motoring experience.

If you would like to learn more about hiring a classic car, feel free to visit www.selfdriveclassics.co.uk