GORDON MURRAY OFFICIALLY OPENS NEW AUTOMOTIVE ARTISANS WORKSHOP

The new facility was officially opened by legendary designer and engineer Gordon Murray, who joined Automotive Artisans founders Lee and Jayne Irish, alongside customers, collectors, partners and friends of the company, to celebrate the occasion.

The workshop provides a new home for the R33 programme and brings together the skilled craftsmen and specialists responsible for building each car. With production strictly limited to just 33 examples, the facility has been established around the principles of traditional coachbuilding, combining hand-formed aluminium bodywork and meticulous craftsmanship with modern engineering.

For Automotive Artisans, the opening represents more than the launch of a new building. It is the physical expression of the company's ambition to create a modern British coachbuilding business with a clear focus on individuality, craftsmanship and the driving experience.

Lee Irish, Founder of Automotive Artisans, said:

"Opening the workshop is a very proud moment for everyone involved in Automotive Artisans. The R33 started with an idea – to create a modern interpretation of one of the most beautiful and evocative sports cars ever made – and it has grown into something much bigger than we first imagined.

"This workshop gives us the space and the environment to build the cars properly, by hand, and to bring together the people and skills needed to deliver them to the standard we expect. Having Gordon Murray here to officially open the building made the occasion particularly special. He has had such an extraordinary influence on the world of performance cars, and his support for what we're trying to achieve means a great deal to us."

Gordon Murray's involvement with the R33 programme also adds a personal connection to the occasion. He is among the limited number of clients commissioning one of the 33 R33 Stradales, making his role in officially opening the new workshop particularly significant.

With the new workshop now open, Automotive Artisans is entering the next stage of the R33 programme, with the first customer cars progressing through the build process and the company continuing to develop its vision for a new generation of British coachbuilding.