About Gentry Restorations
Gentry Restorations is a UK-based family business, specialising in authentic restorations of vintage Bugatti cars. It all started on 1st January 2000 when Malcolm Gentry and his son Stephen opened this dedicated specialist business. Initially, just the two of them worked on clients' cars inside a modest barn in the picturesque hamlet of Adwell, Oxfordshire. But it wasn't long they were employing 5 engineers and rapidly running out of space.
In 2005, the company moved to larger modern premises on the border of Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. These premises have a total floor space of over 1200 square metres, almost the size of 5 tennis courts, and easily accommodate 20 cars at a time. The move prompted buying more advanced equipment for the workshop and an opportunity to significantly invest in plant and machinery for manufacturing parts and components within a dedicated machine shop. Specific areas were also constructed for welding, specialist cleaning and for storing components removed from cars whilst they're being worked on. Finally, it gave the opportunity to invest in a parts department with a dedicated storage area.
Malcolm retired in 2017 and handed the reins over to Stephen. No stranger to Bugattis, and well before father and son joined forces, Stephen was an apprentice at a local garage to where he lived; he now has over 30 years' experience working on Bugattis. Integrity and passion are words that best describe his attitude. Furthermore, his knowledge of the history, philosophy and engineering behind Ettore Bugatti's products is unsurpassed.
For over 20 years the company has continued to invest in building an extensive library of technical drawings copied from originals produced by the Bugatti factory in Molsheim, France. There is absolutely nothing the Gentry team cannot do when it comes to servicing, repairing or restoring these most iconic, cherished masterpieces.
Today, the company employs a dedicated team of 12 personnel - 3 administration, 4 fully-qualified automotive engineers, 3 fully-qualified precision engineers, 1 parts specialist and 1 cleaner. Collectively, the engineers have over 150 years' experience working on vintage Bugatti cars. The company provides a personal, knowledgeable and highly-skilled service that's appreciated by a truly international client base. It's fair to say, Gentry Restorations is firmly established and recognised as one of the leading vintage Bugatti car restoration companies in the world.
Gentry Restorations has a reputation for being a friendly and cooperative business that gives its clients exactly what they want. One major factor stands out above all, and is regarded by most of its clients as highly important, the ability to restore cars to their former glory in both specification and appearance. As mentioned earlier, Stephen Gentry has extensive knowledge of Bugattis. He also has the willingness and ability to carry out comprehensive research into the history of any car. Once the research is complete, and after consulting with and obtaining agreement from the client, that's when the process of restoring a car begins. Repeatedly, there are clients who use Gentry Restorations to increase their collection of cars simply because of the team's knowledge, ethics, capabilities and exacting standards of craftsmanship and quality.
The Gentry team is often asked to support clients who use their cars on events around the world. This has helped our engineers gain invaluable knowledge and experience for solving problems associated with driving a diverse range of Bugatti models, over short and long distances. This experience is continuously employed to improve the driveability and reliability of every client's car.
In addition to working on complete cars, some clients simply want parts or components to be restored or repaired. This can range from fuel system air pumps, oil pumps and waterpumps, to complete engine overhauls and chassis repairs. No job is too small for the Gentry team. There are also clients who actively service and repair their own cars. If a client should need it, the team is more than happy to provide technical help and advice if asked.
Back in 2003, Gentry Restorations acquired many patterns and drawings from Raven Engineering. That's when the company first started to produce its own parts to support its many Brescia clients. Since then, the company has had to produce increasingly more complex and interesting components for cars undergoing restorations in its workshop and requests for parts by owners and other garages from all over the world. The company now produces over 1000 individual Bugatti parts and components.
Our parts range continues to expand as the need to replace un-restorable or completely missing parts arise. As and when new parts are required, every effort is made to reproduce them to the exact specification of the original Bugatti component using original Bugatti drawings, or copying the unusable part.