Show Notes
In this episode, we sit down with Jaguar specialist and racer Michael Quinn. Michael is a man with Jaguar quite literally in his blood as the grandson of the marque’s founder, Sir William Lyons. He began his career at the renowned RA Creamer in Kensington, a main dealer and service centre famed for supplying and maintaining Jaguars for the Royal Family. Joining straight from college, he spent 30 years with the company, rising from mechanic to Managing Director. Following its closure in 2016, Michael went on to establish his own specialist business, Quinn Lyons Ltd.
We chat about his fascinating career, early memories with his grandfather and much more.
As always this episode was hosted by Paddy Coppinger in conjunction with TORQUEfreely.
More from The HCVA podcast
In this episode we speak to David Richardson, Business Development Director at Coryton Advanced Fuels.
In this episode we chat to James Elliott, Editor in Chief of Octane Magazine.
In this episode we chat with Graham Payne, Managing Director of British Motor Heritage. We find out more about Graham's career across the automotive parts supply industry from an early age and hear the fascinating story of how BMH saved genuine manufacturer tooling from scrappage and still use it to this day. At the end Paddy gets to meet some of Graham's current apprentices, Kieron and Matt. We hear about their journey through the Heritage Skills Academy and how they are getting on in their roles at BMH. As always this episode was hosted by Paddy Coppinger in conjunction with TORQUEfreely.
In this episode, we delve into the world of Jaguar with William Heynes, founder of William Heynes Ltd, a specialist in the restoration and maintenance of the earliest and most original Jaguar E-Type models. Jaguar heritage runs deep in William’s story. He is the grandson of Bill Heynes, Jaguar’s legendary Chief Engineer and Technical Director, who developed the iconic XK engine, encouraged Sir William Lyons to take the marque to Le Mans, and played a pivotal role in shaping some of the most important models in Jaguar’s history. William reflects on the formative experiences that shaped his career, including his apprenticeship with fellow HCVA trade member RS Panels, and how those early years laid the groundwork for his approach to authenticity and craftsmanship. We also discuss the realities of building a specialist restoration business from the ground up, transforming a bare industrial unit and a team of two into a thriving company. Towards the end we also speak to Joe, William’s apprentice, who shares his own journey into the trade and offers insight into the next generation of classic car craftsmanship. As always, the episode is hosted by Paddy Coppinger in conjunction with TORQUEfreely.
For the first podcast of 2026 we speak to John Mayhead of Hagerty. John is a motoring writer and all round classic car value expert, he edits the Hagerty price guide which tracks the market value of thousands of classic cars. We hear his thoughts on current market trends, his views for the future of the industry, his recent car adventures and much more.