I wonder if there’s a slightly discomforting truth for some niche car makers about the buying public knowing places like this exist, mind. Even high-end hypercars have production lines, and they don’t really suit the real limited-volume stuff, the things that big-name badges like to put their name to but don’t always make themselves.
Even makers of expensive and rare hypercars – those much more niche than, say, Ford – don’t make a habit of producing really low-volume, high-worth halo cars and can’t leave the staff, equipment and skills that it takes lying redundant in the downtime between series.
Which is where Tecniq and others come in and get sworn to secrecy. Don’t reveal the parts, don’t name the names; just deliver cardboard boxes with the right products inside at the right time and price and, crucially, to the right quality.
Some 12% of Tecniq’s costs and 8% of its staff are in quality. It can put products through 125,000 cycle test routines and it’s a preferred supplier of the Millbrook and Idiada test and development companies.
Ultimately, though, who really likes keeping secrets and saying nothing about their work? It’s nice to have a showcase, no? I think that’s why Envisage has created Caton and put its skills on show with that Healey. It’s one of the reasons why Tecniq is making a one-off Land Rover Defender (see below), and I wonder whether that’s why it created a classic racing division in 2019: more public-facing things to put the name to.