A1 started as an idea following customer feedback from his historic car sales business, Speedmaster Cars, and has really taken off. “I got the idea for this business from my customers who were buying cars from me, many of whom were saying that they were struggling for space for all of their cars. I decided to set up a car storage business on the back of these conversations and, although many customers were supportive of the idea, only two of those customers actually used the facility”, he laughs.

But there is clearly a need for such a business and James found a whole new customer base as a result, with the business being conveniently located close to Leeds, Harrogate and York.  Whilst James started small to see if the business model was viable, it quickly grew in popularity and, when the original Wetherby storage facility was filled to capacity, James set up another car storagecompany in Derby, A38 Car Storage. Yet still, with more demand in the Wetherby area, James looked to expand his original offering. “Finding a suitable location was the hardest thing, it took the best part of twelve months to find somewhere”, he tells us, “The location had to be perfect. It needed to be bigger than the previous facility whilst being close to the A1 and other good road links and still being within easy reach of our existing customers”.

James informs that there is no ‘typical’ customer when it comes to storage. Whilst supercars are the most predominant, the business also has seasonal variations for storing “During the summer, we sometimes get Land Rovers coming in and, as we are approaching winter, we have quite a few camper vans

arriving now too”.

A1 Car Storage offers several options when it comes to storing your car(s). These include basic storage only in their secure,climate-controlled building as well as an optional maintenance package where your

car is put on a battery conditioner and is moved each month to ensure the oily parts keep lubricated and the tyres don’t develop flat spots.

 “Many of our owners also request their car be detailed whilst we are looking after it. We have an on-site detailing company who can cater for these needs from a simple wash and polish right through to full paint correction. We have won awards in the past for our detailing, I shipped one of my own cars to a Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance event several years ago and came home with a trophy!”

James is very flexible with the storage arrangements too, he explains that if you require your car servicing whilst it is in his care, you can arrange for the car to be collected and taken to your dealership of choice, or he can arrange a transport service if required.

“We try to be as accommodating as possible. We encourage our customers to use and drive their cars and so we try to be available when required and that might mean outside of normal business hours. We are also very discreet with regards our exact location. We carry insurance for all cars up to £100,000 as standard (higher value cars can also be insured by agreement) and we take security very seriously – our insurers consider our security facilities to be at the same grade as a bank”.

So, if you have more cars than space, an investment vehicle that requires long term storage and care, or perhaps you’ve been a little a naughty and purchased one too many cars for your other half to know about, James can help you out.

You can find out more at

www.a1wetherbycarstorage.co.uk

or call him on 01423 411459.

Credit: Supercar Driver Magazine