At South Downs Secure your vehicle is our highest priority. We’ve done everything we can to ensure its security. From our safe location, right through to the humidity control in our purpose built, high-security facility. You’d be right to wonder whether there was anything else that we could do to enhance the perfect storage environment we’ve created for your prized possession. Well, because we always like to add a little icing on the cake, we also wrap your vehicle! Although the environment at our car storage facility doesn’t require it, we store all vehicles under car covers. But not just any car cover, we source ours from Classic Additions, the U.K.’s premier supplier of hand made car covers. We believe that storing vehicles in this way adds a level of discretion that our clients, have, quite rightly, come to expect from us.
We thought you might like to know a little more about our trusted partner and supplier, Classic Additions, so in this week’s article, we caught up with founder and Managing Director, Adrian Boyes.
Why is it so important to protect a prized vehicle with a cover, whether it is stored inside or outside?
It is important to cover your vehicle with a cover to keep it protected and paintwork preserved. We always say that a car’s beauty can still be appreciated when it’s under a perfectly fitted car cover. An outdoor cover will protect any vehicle from all the elements, whether its rain, snow, frost, wind or the hot sun in summer.
What makes Classic Addition’s covers the best?
Our car covers are all designed in the UK and made using the highest quality fabrics. This year, we celebrate the fact that we have been making car covers for 30 years. We continually test new fabrics and designs, and already have one of the largest pattern databases in the world. Most importantly, we are proud to be manufacturing a handmade British product and supplying such a bespoke to our retail customers and car manufacturers globally. We are very proud to officially work with high-end manufacturers. These companies include Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce, Jaguar Land Rover, Westfield, Koenigsegg and many others.
What are the advantages of a custom car cover, as opposed to an off the shelf cover?
Our custom car covers are handmade in our factory in the West Midlands. Each cover is completely unique and bespoke. With our database pattern, we can make a car cover for any vehicle in the world. If we don’t have patterns for a vehicle, we offer a measuring service for a small fee. In these instances, our experienced tailor travels to measure the vehicle to ensure a perfectly fitting cover.
For our indoor covers, we have a large range of colours available. Each panel can have a unique colour. We can also add stripes and we always including contrasting piping down the silhouette of the car. We also offer beautiful bespoke embroidery options too. This level of personalization and a perfect fit is something that unfortunately can’t be achieved with an off the shelf cover.
The advantage of a handmade custom outdoor cover over an off the shelf product is that they are completely fitted to the shape of the car. This allows a snug fit, meaning that there is very little chance of the covers moving around in the wind. We always add additional securing straps and have the option to fully tape the seams for all round weather protection.
How long does it take to craft a custom cover?
Our custom car covers can take up to 4 weeks to be handmade in our factory. We always run through all the options prior to order, offering opinions and ideas on what works for car cover designs. Once the cover spec has been agreed, we process the order and carefully check that all the details of the car are correct. Once the order gets passed to our factory, the cover is hand cut to the right pattern. After this, it gets passed on to our embroidery department who embroider any bespoke logos. The covers are then put together and quality checked before being sent to the customer.
This process doesn’t take the full 4 weeks, however, due to demand, the overall process usually takes this long. We always do our best to meet customer deadlines, such as birthdays or other celebrations.
How far and wide do you send Classic Additions covers?
We send our car covers to customers all over the world. Most car covers do go to our UK customers; however, we regularly send covers to Australia, the USA, Canada and all over Europe. We work with three different couriers, which enables us to offer our customers extremely fast and reliable deliveries.
What is the most unusual vehicle you have ever made a custom cover for?
We have made car covers for all kinds of vehicles over the last 30 years, as well as making covers for other items too. We currently work with motorsport teams supplying handmade padded bags, and we also supply luxury outdoor furniture covers globally. Last year we also made a cover for an old 1800s post box!
One of the more unusual cars we have made a cover for is the Bluebird land speed record car, which is now based at the Beaulieu Motor Museum.
We are also proud to have made an indoor car cover for the 1883 Benz Patent-Motorwagen, which is the first production automobile!
Would you like to know more about how we can help you keep your vehicle safe and covered? Contact us HERE.