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DK Engineering: A family fascinated by Ferraris

Since the late 1970s, the name DK Engineering has been held in the utmost regard among Ferraristi. Today, the company operates from a converted-for-purpose farm, and covers all aspects of Prancing Horse ownership – whether it’s an entry-level car or a concours queen…

Things could have been so different. In 1977, founder David Cottingham realised that he could both earn a living and multiply his job satisfaction by developing his weekend hobby – in particular preparing and racing ex-Works Jaguars – into a business. Soon afterwards, having mastered the same basic six-cylinder design common to many competition Jaguars, his allegiance switched to Ferrari. As a result, DK Engineering is now the oldest surviving Ferrari specialist in the UK – one which remains a family affair, with David and his wife Kate (the ‘K’ in DK) enjoying significant support from their sons Justin, Jeremy and James.

While the majority of cars passing through the gates of DK’s Chorleywood premises wear the esteemed Italian badge, the company also deals with important cars from other marques. In the impressive galleried showroom, an Enzo and a pair of F40s (one a rare factory prototype that was later upgraded by Michelotto to full CSAI GT specification) are nestled among a Mercedes 300 SL, a Lister-Chevrolet ‘Knobbly’, an Alfa Romeo GTA stradale and a rare Short-Chassis Volante in Vantage spec. At any one time, DK has up to 30 cars in sales rotation (with roughly 80% being Ferraris), though many of these are sold 'under the radar'. One such example was last year’s multi-million-pound brokerage of the 250 GT SWB in which Sir Stirling Moss won the 1960 Goodwood TT, a sale only revealed to the public via a leak by the new owner’s insurance company.

As evidenced by the trio of SWBs and full complement of Maranello supercars found in the workshop during our stop-off, DK will often be tasked with maintaining a car once it finds new ownership. The company considers itself to be the only specialist in the world to cover all aspects of Ferrari ownership – indeed, its race preparation and restoration work is legendary within Ferrari circles (patrons include Eric Clapton, Sir Anthony Bamford, Chris Evans, Ralph Lauren and Sir Paul Vestey), and on-site facilities even stretch to a rolling road. However, despite the calibre of some of the machinery which passes through here on a daily basis, James Cottingham insists the owner of a £35,000 456 would enjoy the same level of service as a connoisseur of the bluest of blue-chip cars.

As James summarises nicely: “It’s a family-run business which grew from – and is still based on – an enthusiasm for cars.” That enthusiasm has thankfully carried over to the new generation, so DK Engineering’s service to the Ferrari community should continue for the next 40 years, and well beyond.

Photos: Alex Penfold / Joe Breeze

DK Engineering's full stocklist can be found in the Classic Driver Market.

Equus Bass 770: Bullitt time

This is the Equus Bass 770: a modern, no-expense-spared take on the hairy-chested muscle cars of the Sixties…

At first glance, it looks unmistakeably like a late-Sixties fastback Mustang...

At first glance, it looks unmistakeably like a late-Sixties fastback Mustang, but on closer inspection you’ll discover that not all is as it seems. What of those piercing xenon headlights and the slightly awkward front grille, not to mention the bold Bass (yes Bass, not Boss) script adorning the rear?

21^st Century design quirks à la Singer 911

Built around an aluminium chassis, the Bass 770 retains the 'Stang’s pure and iconic styling, but encompasses cutting-edge technology and mild design quirks, dragging the car into the 21^st Century, à la Singer 911. Power is derived from a 6.2-litre Chevrolet V8 (as found in the Corvette ZR1), developing 640HP and propelling the car from 0-60mph in a mere 3.4 seconds. Oh, and did I mention the 802Nm torque figure? If all this sounds a bit unwieldy, don’t worry. There are magnetic dampers to keep it balanced, and huge Brembo carbon-ceramic discs capable of quickly stopping the 770, even from its 200mph top speed. For the purists, there’s a manual 'box, while those wishing to kick back on their interstate road-trips can spec a six-speed dual-clutch auto.

Equus reckons the Bass 770 is "a new American milestone in high-end automobile history" and the craftsmanship and finish certainly looks as though it could back this up. It’ll cost you $250k to truly find out.

For more information, visit equus-automotive.com.

Testa Rossas, 250 GTOs, and other Ferraris from the Spencer family album

Back in the early 1960s, buying Ferraris of the calibre of the 250 GTO or Testa Rossa Prototype wasn’t exactly a poor man’s hobby, but you didn’t need quite the stratospheric wealth you do today.

A family blessed 'with a steady stream of amazing Ferraris'

Ferrari enthusiast (and Classic Driver reader) Roy Spencer well remembers his father, Bev Spencer, the American Ferrari dealer and privateer racing team owner, “blessing our family with a steady stream of amazing Ferraris” during the first few years of the Sixties. These were cars to use and enjoy – and, happily for us, to take photographs of, as the family picked up the cars and took them to concours events or friends’ houses or home to sit on the lawn – or even, on one memorable occasion, to be driven by Phil Hill while Bev took a thrilling passenger ride. Now, Roy has given us permission to reproduce some fascinating and previously unpublished pictures from his family archives, giving a rare insight into his childhood – which was ‘blessed’ indeed.

Heading home in a GTO

Take, for example, GTO #4219, pictured here being driven by Bev Spencer as he leaves the Hillsborough Concours in May 1963, having only collected the car from the airport at 5am that same morning. In the crowd of young, casually dressed onlookers are three of Roy’s four brothers.

The Spencer family favourites

Concours events were clearly a major part of Spencer family life, as here is a laden transporter ready to head to the Town & Country Concours in the spring of 1963 with some Spencer family favourites… namely their SWB, 2+2 and GTO.

A very special parking spot

 You need never worry about finding a parking spot if you arrive by Ferrari, as this wonderful photograph from 1963 helps to prove. “My mother and father were great friends with Henri and Werner Lewin who ran the Fairmont Hotel in the 1960s.” explains Roy Spencer. “They allowed him to display new Ferraris in the lobby.”

Ferrari Testa Rossa Prototype on the family lawn

Here is Bev Spencer with TR0666, the 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa Prototype as previously covered in Classic Driver, on the front lawn of the family home in May 1962. No doubt it gave Roy Spencer mixed feelings to see Gooding sell this ex-Jon Shirley car that was once in the possession of the Spencer family for a cool £16.4m in 2011.

Guest-starring: Phil Hill

And finally, few readers will need us to identify Phil Hill, as he stands in front of Bev Spencer’s 250 GTO '64 at the Spencer residence in the spring of 1965. Hill was over for dinner that night and was reunited with the freshly restored #5571, the car he and Pedro Rodriguez shared to win the epic 1964 Daytona Continental.

The good news is that if you enjoy such photographs – pictures that capture the very essence of California road racing in the Fifties and Sixties – Roy Spencer is working on a book that will share some of the thousands of unpublished images that have been “sitting stagnant within two tattered ring-binders”. The book is an on-going project – see kickstarter.com for more details.