"I insist my customers watch the engine being built..."
Bill Richards: One of the country's best known and respected A-series engine builder and tuner. He began his automotive career at the BMC special tuning department at Abingdon. He now has his own engine-building business and has produced engines that have competed in the Monte Carlo, RAC Rally and Nurburging 24-hour race. "If I have a UK customer who wants an engine, I insist that they come to the workshop and watch it being built. If they don't want to, then I don't build it. I see it as an incentive for them to look after it." - Bill on customer retail. "I kept telling John [Brigden] that electronics were not the way to go. What we need, I would say to him, is a nice Hall-Effect ignition and a 45 Weber job done. John would then bang his fist on the table and say, 'look there's no debate - you have to make this work." - Bill on the stresses of preparing fuel-injected engines for the Monte Carlo.