CLASSIC
BOOTS
Longstone Tyres’ proprietor Dougal Cawley
lives and breathes classic rubber and delights in
helping owners fi nd the correct tyres for their
pride and joy. Words: Iain Wakefi eld
D
on’t like the look of those horrible things,” smiled
Longstone Tyres’ boss Dougal Cawley as he cast his
expert eye over the sidewalls of the nearly new tyres fi tted
to my MGB GT after welcoming me to his Bawtry-based
classic tyre depot. “I hate to see cars like this sitting on
modern-looking, square shouldered radials”, smiled Dougal as he explained
how fi tting a set of classic 165 x14-inch Pirelli Cinturatos to your MGB
would make the car handle more like the designer intended it to do in the
fi rst place.
When it comes discussing the merits of classic rubber, Dougal and his
team at the company's Bawtry depot know what they’re talking about.
Touring the racks of tyres in Longstone’s extensive warehouse is like taking
a trip down motoring memory lane and a warm and courteous welcome
from the team, whether in person or on the telephone, makes Longstone
Tyres a mecca for owners seeking the correct rubber for their classic car.
Lined up neatly along yards of racking and stacked up on the depot’s
newly-extended mezzanine fl oor are hundreds of brand new cross-ply and
classic radial boots from major manufacturers including Michelin, Dunlop,
Avon and Pirelli. While slowly walking along the racks, Dougal told me how
he’s able to supply a set of tyres from stock to fi t anything from a Model
T Ford from the dawn of motoring right up to 1970s performance radials,
including V-speed rated Michelin TB road-legal racing tyres suitable for high
performance cars such as the Lancia Stratos and Renault 5 Alpine.
With his trademark mop of unruly hair, designer stubble and bushy
moustache, Dougal appears more like a famous rock star enjoying a
well-earned day off rather than one of the country’s leading experts on
veteran, vintage and classic car tyres. Although it looks as if he’s just put
his guitar to one side after strolling off the stage, Dougal is equally at home
competing in Vintage Sports Car Club (VSCC) trials and fi tting tyres in the
paddock out of Longstone's purpose built van as he is advising customers
on the best tyres to suit their classic’s unique handling characteristics.
Dougal and his colleagues at Longstone are passionate about classic tyres
and would rather send a customer away still driving on old tyres rather than
sell them a set of unsuitable new boots. “Retro suspensions require the correct
tyre to work correctly,” said Dougal before going on to say that opting to fi t a
cheap set of modern, low profi le tyres or even cut price classic equivalents, to
an expensively restored classic is probably the worst thing you can ever do.
To qualify this, Dougal explained how a modern, wide profi le tyre will
increase the ultimate limit of available grip but will let go all of a sudden
when corning hard, with probably disastrous consequences. “Fit a set of
correctly sized Pirelli Cinturato or Michelin X onto a Jaguar XK originally
fi tted with cross-ply tyres and the big cat’s paws will provide a nice
progressive build up that will give the driver plenty of warning before the
back end steps out of line. Too many owners fi t the wrong style of budget
tyre to their cars and this also spoils the profi le by not fi lling the wheelarch
correctly,” said Dougal as we veered off the subject of tyres and on to
some of the interesting cars he’s owned.
Vintage motoring is probably entwined in Dougal’s DNA as his father is
a long-term prewar car fan and currently runs a 1930s Frazer-Nash, while
Dougal's wife Liz owns a pair of Austin Sevens and his uncle, like father
Andy is another VSCC stalwart. Until quite recently, Dougal’s everyday
transport was a 1928 Model A Ford tourer, but unfortunately it’s
currently off the road and sitting at the front of the Bawtry depot with
the cylinder head off. “It’s going to be sorted out soon,” smiled Dougal
as he went on to explain how this well-worn vintage Ford regularly takes
part in VSCC events all over the country. “I always drive the car to
these events, but have to confess it’s returned home on a trailer more
times than I care to remember, but that’s all part of the fun!”
Asked how he got into vintage and classic rubber, Dougal paused
for a moment before telling me how he started out as an apprentice
butcher as the miners’ strike in the early 1980s had decimated the
work scene around the Doncaster area. “I know butchery is a long
way from classic tyres, but I just managed to scrape one GCSE and
that was only job I could get when I left school,” recalled Dougal
as he added that was just the start of what would turn out to be a
very chequered but interesting career. Fed up with jointing sides
of beef, Dougal explained how he hung up his knives and travelled
extensively in Australia, South East Asia and eventually ended up
in France, where he worked on cruise ships before heading off
travelling around India with his new bride, Liz.
Classic Car Mart Spring 2016 91
The Visit: Longstone Tyres