Finch Restorations

from Classic Marque July 2022

Members Stories

Finch Restorations - Peter Roberts The June E, F & GT Register meeting for June was generously hosted by Peter and Harbinda Roberts – owners of Finch Restorations located at Mt Barker. The meeting started earlier at 18:30 because of the location and to provide sufficient time for an inspection of the premises. Upcoming events discussed were; • Sunday 17th July - Coffee and Cars display followed by a run to the Sailmaster at Northhaven for brunch

SUBJECT to favourable weather conditions; • September – a run is being planned to

Clare with an overnight stay; • October – a visit to Alan Baker’s home workshop at Somerton Park to view his D-Type project which may well be completed; and • The proposed name change of the Register will be forwarded to the executive committee for consideration. Following general business, Peter Roberts provided an overview of the history of Finch Restorations. Originally started by Ray Finch, the business subsequently moved to Mt Barker with four (4) employees. Since Peter and Harbinda purchased the business, growth has been significant and the number of employees now totals twenty-six (26) and is located over five (5) sites including a trim and timber shop and a mechanical service workshop located at Woodside. Peter whose profession is a naval architect has applied shipbuilding principles to vehicle restoration including scheduling and engineering disciplines. They have between forty (40) and fifty (50) vehicles in progress at any one time including all marques and eras, the oldest being 1905 and 2002 as the newest. Pre computer designed vehicles are preferred. There are currently five (5) Jaguars in progress. Jaguar is the marque that is most associated with Finch Restorations. As members moved through the premises, Peter described the many and varied challenges of restoration including sourcing parts, the research and planning required, and even legal issues regarding intellectual property rights. Employees at Finch Restorations include three (3) engineers and a technician. Finch has combined 21st century innovations such as using 3-D scanning and bespoke ERP management software that Peter Roberts has developed, with a wide range of traditional automotive crafts to efficiently work on and manage complex projects. The results of this are reflected in the quality of the finished project with a happy owner. It is worth noting that the service workshop at 11-13 Tiers Road, Woodside is available to the public and any member wanting their Jaguar maintained, can contact Finch for further details on ph 8398 2332.