You are not logged in
INTERVIEW WITH STEVE MCHUGH
Which was your favourite Chop Shop custom car?
The Jaguar (the Tiger Car). Right up my street. I would love to have a go at customising a Jaguar.
Which aspect of car modding do you find the most difficult?
Finding the hours to fit everything in. I do a full time job, and I do everything on the cars by hand. My last car took me five years to finish and it’s on its third makeover. People don’t think that I work for a living, because of the time I spend working on the car.
I come home after doing a 12-hour night shift and if the sun’s out I’ll get to work on the car.
I’ve even been out there on Boxing Day.
Have you had any trouble getting MOTs for your modified creations?
I’ve never had any trouble getting an MOT. If I get stuck with something I can call on a mate for help.
That really helps you keep going, when you want to jack it in.
What's the biggest disaster you've had while building a car, and how did you fix it?
No big disasters, it’s been a learning curve.
I take what I’ve learned from the last car and use it on the next one. I don’t have a favourite car really either, I’ve got good memories of all of them.
How did you get started?
I’ve been doing it since 1982 with motorbikes, when I left school. I wasn’t interested in cars to begin with.
My first car was a three-wheeler, and that became a show car. And most of my customised cars have been my daily driving car too.
The ideas for designs for my cars are all mine and they polarise opinion. You love them or hate them.
At shows I stand back and listen to what people have to say, without them knowing it’s my car. It’s genuine feedback.
If you could mod any car, what would it be?
I really want to build a high tech hotrod. I’m starting work on it as soon as I sell this car.
I can’t afford to hang on to my cars; it would be my dream to keep all of them in a garage.
What's your favourite production car?
I like the Enzo Ferrari – I love its styling and performance.
Where do you get your supplies and is there a particular brand that you prefer?
Local paints suppliers and eBay. It’s brilliant - I just wish I’d known about it years ago. Would have saved me a lot of time and money.
You just type in what you want and it’s there.
Do you take your creations to car shows? If so which is your favourite show?
At the moment I’m going to kit car shows. But I’ve done custom and hotrod, then boy racer, with a Calibre show car, which was featured by Max Power and Total Vauxhall.
I used to run a hotrod show at Drayton Manor with some mates. Car clubs are divided and I’ve been with them all, which people don’t like. They tend to stick to one type of customising.
I just build what I’ve got and they turn out to be show cars.
Any advice for wannabe modders?
Make a plan, with a budget, and stick to a design - I chop and change which takes longer.
I’ve got no garage, if I did it would be so much easier. You can walk away and leave it and come back the next day with a garage. I have to do whatever I can outside.
Why do you keep going?
I like creating the shapes. And I’ve made some good mates through it.
It’s hard, especially on a cold wet day when you’re using a hairdryer trying to make fibreglass set. But you get a real buzz driving the end product.
