Meet the specialist: Phœnix Green Garage

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Mecca gets used as a metaphor rather too flippantly, but it is no exaggeration to say that the Phœnix Green Garage is the Mecca for vintage sports-car enthusiasts. After all, it is not merely a popular place of pilgrimage for motorists of a certain inclination; it is nothing less than the founding place of the Vintage Sports-Car Club, and therefore also the fountainhead of vintage-car appreciation in Britain.

A collection of vernacular outbuildings attached to a historic timber-framed wayside inn, set back from a small green, the Phœnix would make for the sort of idyllic rural scene in which Constable and Turner might have delighted, were it not for the now rather fast London-Plymouth road which shoots past the front door - a road which positively trills with the reverberating echo of lively pre-war engines whenever Phœnix Green has visitors.

The birthplace of the VSCC

In 1934, L. T. C. Rolt, that inexhaustible recorder of transport history, was sharing lodgings with Thornycroft apprentice and fellow car enthusiast John Passini. One day, they chanced upon the Phœnix Inn in Hartley Wintney, and became friends with the landlord, Tim Carson, who used to break records with Vauxhalls at Brooklands. Carson also owned the outbuildings, which had formerly been a wheelwright's shop and then a coachworks, and soon the three of them were spending their free time preparing a 30-98 special for the Lewes Speed Trials and Shelsley Walsh.

Rolt and Passini took over the outbuildings, and the petrol station outside, and went into partnership as the Phœnix Green Garage. Around the same time two fellows called Colin Nicholson and Ned Lewis were interested in establishing a club to promote cars of pre-1931 manufacture, and they were invited to chat at the Phœnix. Thus the VSCC came into being, with the Phœnix serving as unofficial headquarters throughout the 1930s.

Rolt and Passini kept the garage going for many years, with Denis Jenkinson even living there for a spell. It then passed through two further owners, always specialising in vintage sports-cars, until it was taken over by Nick Benwell in 2005. "I only came here for the pub meet," he says, "but then I bought the building as a piece of history."

Keeping the flame alive

Coming from a vintage car-obsessed family, Nick's background and real enthusiasm make him the ideal person for the job. "My grandfather had a Frazer Nash," he explains. "My uncle had Twin-Cam Sunbeams, Alfa Romeos, Bugattis and Bentleys. My dad's had Lambdas since before I was born, and I've been passionate about cars from a young age."

He followed his passion to become a trained restorer, mastering all aspects of mechanical and bodywork restoration, before learning the ropes of the market through jobs with Christies and Bonhams. Now joined in business by David Goodwin of post-war classic car dealership Goodwin Cars, they've turned Phœnix Green Garage into one of the country's leading specialists in high-quality pre-war sports cars.

If you're in the market for something rather racy, it's worth keeping an eye on their stock and seeing what might tempt you. Likewise, if you've come to the reluctant decision that it's time to part with a car, Nick and David are always interested to know about potential new stock. They'll handle all '20s and '30s cars of the right calibre, though stock tends to reflect Nick's personal tastes, which lean heavily towards Alfa Romeos and Lancias.

It doesn't have to be a whole car, either. If you're hunting for parts, from a complete Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 engine and gearbox to a Lancia Aprilia differential or Lambda exhaust manifold, that's the sort of thing they're likely to have in stock. Indeed, at the time of writing, it's exactly what they do have in stock.

As vintage sports-car specialists generally, Phœnix Green is a very useful place to know, but for Alfa Romeos and Lancias especially, there are few other businesses to rival it. Call +44 (0)7762 116129 or discover their current offerings here.

Words and photographs: Zack Stiling
 

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