First up is Director Jared Al-Hilali who channels his passion and expertise for cars into his day job. Jared has a (mostly) great back catalogue of cars and insists he’s never named any of them.  

What was your very first car? 

A standard Peugeot 205, my mum’s car, which I learnt to drive in.   

We hear you’ve just bought one of your bucket list cars?  

Yes - it’s a 1972 Chevrolet Nova in satin black, which is from the muscle car era. It’s powered by a rather inefficient V8. I grew up watching car movies which clearly impacted me!   

Any modification plans for the Nova? 

I’m not planning lots of modifications on this one, I just want to make her road-going and fun to drive. So far, I’ve changed the front wheels as she was set up for drag racing which means she’s really a straight-line car in this configuration. Currently there are a few minor problems to fix - including some leaks which are rather evident on a shiny workshop floor! Later this year I’m hoping to take her to Santa Pod for the quarter mile run and fellow Director Richard is also rather keen on that trip!   

Any other unusual cars tucked away? 

I’ve had a 1976 Vauxhall Viva Coupe since 2017 which I’m doing up, but the build is taking forever. I’ve recently become a dad again for the third time and three children under the age of five means my time is quite limited!  The Viva is a slow burn project but so far, I’ve swapped the engine to a 3.5 litre V8 and changed the powertrain as well as the drivetrain. I’ve also added a TVR gearbox and Ford limited slip rear axle to handle the extra torque, as well as completing a front disk brake conversion. I’ve had to make some body mods too, which involved some serious cutting and welding.  I also have an old American Jeep CJ5. When I was growing up, we had a CJ7 which rusted away so it was a bit of a childhood dream to tackle an off roader of my own.  

What’s your daily driver?   

A Ford Grand C-Max which might explain why I’ve just bought such an extreme looking car! But it’s reliable and good for commuting.   

Any embarrassing cars along the way?   

A grey Nissan Micra was a bit of a low point. I also used to have a Jaguar X-Type - I’m not sure why I owned that one.   

Have you always had a passion for cars? 

I’ve always tinkered with cars and been interested in fixing them. My school offered a car maintenance as a weekly activity, and it started from there. It wasn't until I was at university that I worked out I wanted a career in automotive. I feel very lucky that I get to channel my passion for cars into my work at LRW.   

What’s your favourite car you’ve worked on at LRW?  

I’m lucky enough to work on some incredible cars. I won’t name names, but my favourite is a high performance, lightweight supercar which has a lot of soul. It has a V12 and will happily scream all the way up to 11,000 RPM. The car has a really interesting powertrain and associated systems which made it fascinating to work on.   

And we should talk about your LRW role, what does it involve day to day? 

I work very closely with our customers. I also manage the OBD team - delivering OBD calibration, testing and I spend a fair amount of time in emissions labs! In addition, I lead LRW’s operational strategy which is increasingly important as we continue to expand. 

Finally, what’s the best thing about working at LRW? 

I’ve worked with LRW for over eight years now, rejoining as a Director in 2022, and I’m proud to be part of building a great business with my co-Directors who are also good friends. Watching LRW transform and grow is incredibly rewarding - that and seeing the new talent coming into the business.