The Jaguar Tamer

The Jaguar Tamer

21 years ago, Helmut Stipsits was hired as a mechanic at Straight Eight, the classic car forge owned by scene legend Franz Pollak in Leopoldsdorf near Vienna. “He had incredible knowledge of the technical features of cars from a wide range of brands, and I learned an enormous amount from him,” says Stipsits today. After Pollak's death, Stipsits reopened the business in 2010. The loyal, regular customer base of classic car enthusiasts who had appreciated his conscientious work for years remained. “Hardly any of my regular customers are younger than me,” smiles the now 59-year-old. A relatively young group of people in their mid-forties from Upper Austria, who have formed a Jaguar club and found their way into his workshop, gives the classic car expert hope for new blood. “The fascination that comes from classic automobiles will not die out any time soon,” he is convinced. With two highly specialized automotive technicians at his side, he ensures that the technical marvels not only work, but also shine in all their splendor as if fresh from the showroom. “Beauty is just as important to my customers as driving pleasure without any technical problems,” says Stipsits.

Stipsits begins his day's work at four in the morning. “I can work in peace and quiet and not be distracted by colleagues, customers and representatives,” he says. “I live for technology,” he admits frankly and explains that he once interrupted his career as a mechanic for a job as a sales representative. “After six months, I followed my passion and returned to the workshop.” In the spacious Straight Eight hall, several “cigars” (Jaguar E) are waiting to be restored or serviced, but the brands Rolls Royce, Aston Martin and Maserati are also represented. “We tune each engine individually according to customer requirements,” explains Stipsits. Because it makes a difference whether the classically beautiful and powerful six to twelve-cylinder engines from the golden combustion engine era of the last century are used for occasional trips, for vintage car rallies or even for circuit races. A major challenge for Stipsits is the fluctuating quality of the spare parts available today. "I prefer to have some parts, such as valve guides, reproduced on a CNC machine in a partner company. Then I can be sure that the dimensions are correct to the 1000th of a millimeter."