NOW THAT BITSA BUILDING IS IN DECLINE AND EVERY NEW FAT CAT OWNER OF A VINTAGE BENTLEY WANTS THE WORK JUST CARRIED OUT ON THE CAR REMOVED AND THE CAR BROUGHT BACK TO IT`S ORIGINAL STATE, THE BENTLEY SPECIALISTS ARE GETTING A LOT OF WORK.
SO WHERE HAVE ALL THESE NEW BENTLEY MECHANICS COME FROM?
i REMEMBER IN THE OIL INDUSTRY WHEN THERE WAS A TREMENDOUS UPSURGE OF WORK IN THE SEVENTIES AND THERE WERE NOT ENOUGH EXPERIENCED PERSONNEL TO FILL THE POSITIONS AVAILABLE, SOME COMPANIES RAN SCHOOLS TO TRAIN UP BUS DRIVERS AND THE LIKE TO FILL THE GAPS IN THE RANKS. IT WAS TOUGH ON THE EXPERIENCED PEOPLE AS THEY WERE CONTINUALLY INTERRUPTED BY THESE NEWBIES ASKING HOW THINGS WERE DONE.
SO IT IS IN THE BENTLEY WORLD WHERE MECHANICS ARE FREELANCERS AND HIRED AND FIRED BY THE HOUR. SO DON`T IMAGINE THAT THE TIME RAVAGED MECHANICS THAT ARE WORKING ON YOUR GREEN PAINTED INVESTMENT HAVE 35 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE ON BENTLEYS, THEY MAY HAVE WORKED ON MORE HUMBLE VEHICLES OR TRUCKS IN THE PAST AND HAVE MOVED ONTO BENTLEYS FOR A PAY RISE OF AROUND A SHILLING AN HOUR.
ALTHOUGH VINTAGE BENTLEY CARS ARE SIMPLE TO WORK ON, SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE IS REQUIRED IN SOME AREAS, SO WHAT HAPPENS IF THE ONLY ONE IN THE WORKSHOP WHO KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT BENTLEYS GOES ON A WORLD CRUISE? THE ANSWER IS HE CAN`T !
SO NEXT TIME YOU POP INTO YOUR LOCAL RESTORER FOR A QUOTATION FOR WORK ON THE BENT,JUST ASK TO LOOK AT THE CV`S OF THE MECHANICS WORKING THERE, OF COURSE THAT WON`T HAPPEN BUT IF IT DID YOU WOULD BE AMAZED AND HAVE A GOOD LAUGH AT THE SAME TIME!
ALAN