Microbe that you cannot let go of

Jaguar, Aston Martin, Austin Healey: these and other gems from the 1950s can be admired since 2007 in the MB Motors showroom from Bissegem. Tim Motte and wife Petra Beaumon are making their big dream come true here: selling classic cars to an equally passionate public, and keeping those cars in good condition. “Maintenance and repair work is very labor-intensive, but in principle everything can be repaired”, explains Tim Motte.

The love for cars has always been strong with Tim Motte. What started with playing with Matchbox carts turned to constantly flipping through auto magazines, eventually evolving into a deep-rooted passion for vintage cars. “That will undoubtedly have a lot to do with nostalgia”, the manager suspects.

From Wervik to Kortrijk

Motte comes from an entrepreneurial family. His parents ran a meat products company in Wervik, which is now continued by his brother and sister. “It didn’t mean much to me to follow in my parents’ footsteps, but in 2003 I decided to start this business as a secondary occupation. Initially it was still very small-scale. In the old workshops of my parents. The success made a difference. I already switched to full-time self-employed status in 2004.

A lack of expansion options made us look forward to a new location. That’s how we came across this site, located along a busy approach road to Kortrijk. Here we could also present the cars in a showroom. which has nevertheless provided a sensitive added value. In retrospect, it was not even necessary to establish ourselves along a road with a lot of traffic because this market mainly relies on word of mouth, but we can do our thing perfectly here.

Many entrepreneurs, industrialists and liberal professions come to MB Motors. “Everyone shares a passion for these types of cars. My personal preference is for sports models and real racing cars.

In the showroom, for example, there is an Oeutsch Bonnet that drove the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice and also has the well-known rally Mille Miglia to its credit. The intention is to orient the business even more towards that niche segment in the future.

The company reaches a lot of people from the Kortrijk entrepreneurial world, but also many French. “In principle, Europe is our market. There is competition, but also with classic cars it comes down to specializing. Our focus is on English cars from the 1950s, although there are also beauties from the 1930s here. “

No computers or electronics

The maintenance and repairs part is very important and fascinating for MB Motors. Many of our customers regularly drive rallies of four to five days abroad. Before and after, they bring their oldtimer in for a thorough inspection. It also happens regularly that the customer asks us to attend such an event, to check the car between trips.

In any case, maintenance of these cars is a very labor-intensive process, because it is purely about mechanics. These cars do not yet contain computers and electronics, which has the important advantage that in principle everything can be repaired.

Many parts are still available on the market. If not, we will have the parts in question manufactured at a neighboring company that specializes in manual turning and milling. We are very fortunate that manufacturing is still done on analogue banks and not via CNC-controlled machines. As a result, those parts do not have to be drawn on a computer first, which saves a lot of time. “

Typically, customers have three options. “If we have the car in stock, we offer the customer a test drive. If he is convinced, then there is the possibility to integrate certain options, for example a radio. In addition, we can completely restore cars, which is actually the biggest challenge. The third option is cars to order. In addition, the customer has a good idea of what he wants and I search the European market to find that type of car. “

An enthusiast regards a classic car as a collector’s item that will be cherished with a lot of love for years. “The rotation is not high, but we do have many customers who have various old-timers. Because such cars are always purchased privately, we are not bothered by the stricter tax regulations on benefits in kind. Fortunately, because such cars are always bought privately. classic car has a hefty price tag anyway. “