Detour Pit Stop #103: The Motorist, Leeds, UK
From MoTs to packed car meets and corporate hosting, The Motorist is fast becoming Yorkshire’s go-to hub for all things automotive.
At some point in our automotive lives we’ve probably ended up at the door of some specialist scratching out a living in a leaky old Nissen hut in a puddle-strewn corner of a forgotten old airfield. It may be a long way from the F1 glamour of Silverstone, Goodwood’s retro pomp or the buzzing of collective classic expertise that is Bicester Heritage. But these old wartime sites – each in their own way – have an important role in the fabric of British petrolhead life.
In the flat plains east of Leeds and south of York it seems you can’t go more than a mile or two without ending up on another old runway. And just a short hop from Elvington and its speed-record runway lies Sherburn-in-Elmet, another old airfield with a flying club still operating and its own twist on the formula of cars, coffee and a place for owners to enjoy both. Think of it as a Yorkshire-based mash-up of Caffeine & Machine, The Ace Café and Bicester Heritage and you’re not far off the mark.
True, at its heart The Motorist is another one of those airfield-based MoT centres and bodyshops. But forget draughty, repurposed wartime buildings or anonymous industrial units. The Motorist’s smart, wooden-clad facilities are clean, fresh and it’s an inviting place to bring your car for whatever work it may require. It’s an offer a diverse range of owners seems to be taking up, given work in progress on everything from a Renault Dauphine to a first-generation VW Scirocco when we peered through the service area viewing window. Attached to this facility is a large retail space, racks of Hot Wheels, Lego kits and artisan beers, sweets and coffees hanging off scissor jacks holding an eclectic selection of real cars on display. Through a lounge-like lobby area is the Arnage Restaurant, a properly swanky looking eatery with meeting rooms and other hireable spaces above.
Outside there’s lots and lots of space. Which on any given day of the week attracts cars and bikes of all flavours, the self-explanatory Cars & Coffee on the spring Sunday we attended seeing a full car park packed with supercars, ordinary cars, classics, off-roaders, Max Power style modded machinery and everything in between. Themed Saturday meets and regular weekday gatherings pack out a busy calendar, while there’s even a Motorist club with tiered membership packages offering everything from preferential parking at events to photo sessions with your pride and joy.
It’s all very slick and well-presented, though the crowd turning up with their cars and bikes are pleasingly down-to-earth, eclectic in their tastes and seemingly welcoming of anything on wheels. And if the location sandwiched between the A1 and the M62 seemingly doesn’t offer much in the way of inspirational driving fear not, as our exploration of the nearby Wolds in an Alpine A110 revealed. Not much further beyond that lie the open spaces of the North York Moors, too, while going the other way you’ve got the quiet, rolling roads of East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.
For northern-based petrolheads, or those passing through, it’s a welcome addition to the scene. And well worth the trip if you’re in the area.
ROADBOOK
CLASS: CARS & COffee
NAME: THE MOTORIST
ROUTE: NEW LENNERTON LANE, SHERBURN-IN-ELMET, LEEDS, LS25 6JE
COUNTRY: UK
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