RENAULT SPECIALISTS
Four wheels, two wheels,
and a bit of wildlife
Tom Barker originally served his time as a joiner (Morgan owners take note!) before retraining as a mechanic with the main Renault dealer in Morpeth. In 1980, when Renault cars were still a bit of a novelty in rural Northumberland, Tom realised there was a healthy demand for his skills and decided to set up his own business specialising in the servicing and repair of these 'exotic' models.
Thirty two years later he’s still looking after Renaults, both the ordinary and the exotic, as well as applying his years of experience to repairing cars of all types. Many customers have been taking their cars to Tom for servicing and repair for decades; a loyal and strong customer base that’s more like an extended family.
If Tom’s not at work under the arches, he’s likely to be roaming the Highlands of Scotland with his wife Sue in their Hobby 750 motorhome, photographing the local fauna and flora. In fact wherever he is, Tom will take a keen interest in the local wildlife. Even around the garage he looks after the birds, and they seem to have taken a liking to him too. No one knows if this cormorant left a deposit with Tom or if it was just collecting material for a nest.
Harking back to his teenage years, Tom has embarked on the renovation of a Lambretta scooter. After a complete rebuild, body repair and respray the 1962 model is already looking like a work of art. In his first scooter phase, Tom claims he was never a mod; more of a rocker, with a stripped down lean machine minus side panels and any other unnecessary fitments. There are those who remember a stretched scooter with ‘chopper-style’ forks for drag racing!
Over the years Tom has always shown a total commitment to delivering first class service, a quality recognised by a long-term customer who moved all of his business servicing requirements to Barkers. The Daft as a Brush Cancer Patient Care charity, set up by Brian Burnie, runs a fleet of ambulance vehicles all serviced and cared for by Tom on special contract rates.
Visit Daft as a Brush website to find out more about their charity work
Tom now provides contract rates for other regular business customers and happily offers special rates for charitable organisations.
Pit Stop Garage, Railway Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 7AD. Tel: 0191 232 9532
Email: enquiries@barker-renault.co.uk
Proprietor: Thomas William Barker and Steven Thomas William Barker