A mechanic has passed his apprenticeship at a prestigious training academy.

Daniel Harper, 26, joined Classic & Sportscar Centre & Malton Coachworks in 2020 and began his Heritage Engineering Technician course at the Heritage Skills Academy (HSA) in Bicester.

HSA brings experts together from across the restoration industry who are committed to preserving the skills, knowledge and enthusiasm required to maintain and restore the world’s finest classic motor vehicles.

The company works with the UK’s leading classic vehicle specialists, helping them to recruit and train world-class engineers. Our employers range from general restorers, specialists working on single marques and historic racing specialists preparing iconic vehicles for national and international race meetings and competitions.

CEO of Classic & Sportscar Centre,James Szkiler, said: "Daniel has worked exceptionally hard in our workshop covering all aspects of motor vehicle maintenance, from light servicing through to recommissioning projects. Our busy workshop has been a great environment for learning, through the variety of cars coming in from Morris Minors and MGB’s through to Aston Martins and Jaguar E-types.

"In his final year Daniel carried out an extensive recommissioning on a MGB Roadster, pulling together all aspects of his learning. After constructing plan for all the repairs, Daniel efficiently worked through all aspects of the recommissioning from pulling the engine and gearbox out, sourcing parts, and detailing the engine bay. The cooling system, braking system, ignition system, and suspension were overhauled. When back on the road, the car felt great to drive and was MOT tested with a clean bill of health.

James added: "It has been great to see Daniel grow as a person and a technician throughout his time with us in our Malton Coachworks workshop, and we take great pride in how we have helped Dan develop. Interestingly, long before we had our own Bodyshop back in the early 2000’s Dan’s father used to carry out bodywork and paintwork to assist the sales department and I have many memories seeing Dan at Classic & Sportscar Centre as a young boy when his father came onto site with his family. I have personally known of Dan pretty much all of his life and we hope he remains a key member of our business for years to come. I’m immensely proud he chose our Company for his apprenticeship scheme, and proud of his achievements too, he will without doubt be a highly successful fully qualified technician with a fantastic understanding of a wide range of classic and vintage cars."