A visit to Blockley Tyres Ltd: the world of Julian Majzub

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It’s a gray March morning on an English industrial estate. The sun occasionally makes an appearance, but the roads are muddy and scattered with materials. At the end of a path, next to a long row of shipping containers, lies our destination: Blockley Tyres Ltd. Before we even step out of the car, an energetic man in his sixties is already approaching us. This is Julian Majzub’s domain.

For most readers of PreWarCar.com, Julian is no stranger. Whether it’s because of his impressive car collection, his uncompromising driving style on the circuit, or his outspoken opinions on technical matters, his name carries a certain fame. And even if you’ve never heard of him, chances are you know his tires: Blockley Tyres.

A Man on a Mission

Julian Majzub is an unconventional man with immense technical knowledge. Born in Persian, English and Irish, and trained as an engineer in the United Kingdom, he has lived there since the revolution. His unique combination of technical expertise and determination has led to numerous projects: when he needed a new crankshaft for his 4 ½ -liter Bentley, he wasn’t satisfied with the new items available. So, he designed one himself and has since sold upwards of 50. The same applied to tires.

While racing his Bugatti T35B, he found that the available tires did not meet his standards—he thought the quality was subpar and the prices too high. He wanted something more wholesome and visually correct. So, he decided to develop and produce them himself. And with success: shortly after, he won the race in Monaco. However, while he only needed four or at most eight tires, he had to produce a minimum of a thousand. This left him with 996 extra tires, which he decided to sell. And so, Blockley Tyres was born.

Opposition and perseverance

His success did not go unnoticed, and competitors tried to push him out of the market. But Julian wouldn’t be Julian if this didn’t motivate him even more to do the opposite. He started producing and selling even more. Initially, he only made tire sizes for his own cars, but soon friends began requesting sizes as well. Today, Blockley offers a range of sixty different tire sizes from the earliest to the post-war sizes..

Sales are conducted almost exclusively through direct channels—via the website or at events like Salon Retromobile. While there are a few intermediaries, Julian prefers to maintain control himself.
His reputation is often associated with racing tires, perhaps because he races a lot. But according to him, he only produces road tires—albeit with reinforced sidewalls and a high-speed rating, simply because he refuses to compromise on quality.

Julian’s commitment to quality is evident in everything he does. During our tour of his warehouse—a space filled with racing photos, vintage advertisements, and, of course, stacks of tires—he shows us a collection of tires from other brands. He bluntly calls them “rubbish.” He buys them to analyze and ensure that his own quality remains superior. Over the years, he has also collected archives from historical tire manufacturers, always searching for valuable knowledge.

For the production of his tires, he seeks out only the best factories, regardless of location. His goal is simple: to make high-quality tires, even if the profit margin is small. In his view, most manufacturers do the opposite—they optimize for profit rather than quality. For example, Blockley uses butyl rubber for inner tubes—more expensive, but significantly better than alternatives.

Containers full of rubber

Blockley now has an enormous stockpile, with containers full of tires, including a growing selection of radial tires. Julian’s marketing strategy is as simple as it is bold: he is so confident in the quality of his products that he offers customers a full refund if they are not satisfied after 1,000 miles. However, as with all tires he does recommend driving at least 30 miles on the tires first to scrub in.

Our visit is fascinating. We not only learn about tires and materials but also about Julian’s extensive automotive knowledge. There’s no doubt that he is a seasoned car enthusiast. As we chat with him, a delivery truck arrives carrying a pallet with two differentials for his Adler. Moments later, Julian proudly shows us some of his cars—all, of course, equipped with Blockley tires.

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