KEITH MCILROY - SHARING THE ENTHUSIASM, SPREADING THE - JUST CARS

Keith McIlroy - sharing the enthusiasm, spreading the knowledge

If you own a classic car or two, you’ll know they can sometimes be a money pit, and if you’re new to the hobby, it can be a daunting arena to step into. Fortunately, Keith McIlroy has come up with ways to address the former and improve the latter.

An accountant by profession, Keith’s decades of experience in saving (and making) a dollar has transferred across to his passion for classic cars.

Rarely does a ‘Chartered Accountant’ and ‘Classic Car Entrepreneur’ combine in one being, but Keith is living proof that these seemingly disparate worlds can be united – and united successfully.

Hondas, Hillmans and Hard Driving

While his profession and his passion have run parallel for many years, it was motoring that was first off the line. Keith was still a teenager when his Vincent HRD-riding uncle taught him how to rebuild the motor on his Honda 90 Super Cub. A few years later, Keith had signed up as an Articled Clerk and bought his first car – a Hillman Imp - which quickly became a rally car.

The next decade was split between trying to become a world rally champion and forging a career in the corporate world. While very successful in the latter, Keith had given up chasing glory in the former by his mid-twenties. He still rallies, though, competing in events around the world, most recently at this year’s Otago International Classic Rally in New Zealand.

Partnering James Hunter in a Corolla AE86, Keith grins when he said he qualified for the “Pensioner’s Class”. But at least he finished, which more than two dozen other entries at Otago this year failed to do.

Flicking the Classic Switch

While a lot of cars have come and gone from Keith’s garage over the years, his passion for classics was spun off from turning a 1969 BMW 2002 into a forest rally car, then buying a couple of classics for his daughter’s wedding. Deciding that his recently-restored MGB roadster simply wouldn’t do for such a grand occasion, he acquired a stunning Jaguar E-type roadster, then a Jaguar MkII, and later, a Mustang.

Classics for Hire

Seeing first-hand the popularity of self-drive classic car hire services in the UK, Keith launched ‘Sydney Classic Car Hire’ in 2008. What started with his own small fleet soon expanded as fellow classic car owners realised the income-earning potential of hiring their vehicles. That expansion saw the business go national, with a rebrand as ‘Vintage & Classic Car Hire’.

It’s important to note that Vintage & Classic Car Hire isn’t just about hiring out classics for weddings, formals and the like. Keith’s spin on the idea was to encourage owners to share their classics with other enthusiasts, too. The result of this “cross pollination” among owners has been an expansion of the understanding and admiration for various marques and models within the classic car community, as well as outside it.

Of course, the bonus with self-drive hiring is the ability to earn income without being behind the wheel yourself, giving owners freedom and allowing them to maintain, upgrade and even expand their collection.

Classics in the Spotlight

After achieving a near monopoly of the self-drive classic car hire market, Keith’s next initiative was ‘Star Cars Agency’. Launched in 2016, this quickly became the main provider of classic and newer cars for professional photographers, film and TV producers, art directors and event managers.

Today, Star Cars Agency has more than 3,500 vehicles on their database - one of the largest in the world. Keith says more than 2,000 vehicle owners are earning money by providing their vehicles for TV and movie productions, magazine shoots and public events.

Using his experience in the corporate world, Keith then started providing cars for customer and employee promotions, with high-profile clients like Citibank, Baume and Mercier, Lion Nathan and Macquarie, to name a few.

Spreading the Knowledge

Having achieved another national monopoly with Star Cars Agency, Keith then turned his attention to what he describes as his most important task – educating owners on how to maintain, repair and restore their classic cars.

Keith’s only half joking when he says he’s part of a dying breed of owners who can still set valve clearances, time a distributor or tune a carby. That’s where the idea of ‘The Vintage & Classic Car Hub’ was born, ensuring this knowledge is shared and passed on before it’s lost.

The next step for this septuagenarian entrepreneur is ‘The Classic Car Academy’ which will take the Classic Car Hub to the next level by providing site-based learning and developing an online database to match owners seeking advice with experienced enthusiasts who can provide it. At time of writing, Keith was in negotiation with a major corporate partner to launch The Classic Car Academy, so expect to see more on this in the near future.