Sporting & Historic Car Engineers Limited regrets to announce the passing of its founder, Andrew “Tim” Samways, peacefully this week after a short illness.
Tim was respected universally in historic motor racing and collector car circles, an engineer who built up a highly successful business over 35 years, winning multiple races and championships with a diverse mix of historically important cars. He loved racing and took a pragmatic perfectionist approach to restoring, improving and running special cars for a tight knit group of collector and enthusiast owners.
After an apprenticeship in motorbikes and going on to work for Hesketh Motorcycles, Tim started the business in 1989 and by 1991 had taken on the rebuild of the 1959 Le Mans 24 Hours winning Aston Martin DBR1, including building a completely new engine, in order to preserve the Le Mans winning original. This car went on to take many major race victories, including at Goodwood and also at Le Mans.
Ferrari sports cars quickly became a staple of the business and in 1995 Sporting & Historic won the Ferrari Historic Challenge in Europe, being awarded Preparer of the Year. Perhaps the most celebrated win was that at the Goodwood Revival Meeting RAC TT Celebration race in 2008, the first ever win in that race for a Ferrari, the 330 LMB developed by Tim and driven beautifully by Peter Hardman and Bobby Verdon-Roe.
Clients around the world grew to love his meticulous attention to detail, honest appraisal of a tricky situation and deep affection for the machinery that passed through his doors and the heroes who had raced them.
Tim sold the business in May this year to James Turner, founder of the Porsche specialists, Sports Purpose, and retired at the end of that month. It was fully expected that he would remain a consultant to the business for many years to come but sadly that has not proven to be the case.
To his wife Tracey and his family, and many friends inside and outside racing, we extend our deepest sympathies. Rest in Peace, Tim.
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