Motoring enthusiasts are looking for more than just the car of their dreams, they are also looking for the specialist knowledge needed to source, sell, maintain and repair it.
APS Group of Brackley offers all that and more, with four distinct arms of the business available at one site to help customers with workshop services, storage facilities, bodyshop and specialist sales.
The business, now well-known and regarded for its levels of high quality service, started out 20 years ago this year as a workshop in a single unit on the Buckingham Road Industrial Estate.
Founders and directors Ed Jackson and Nathan Sammons built up the business and took opportunities to expand as neighbouring units became available, firstly in 2018 when additional space prompted the decision to launch the sales arm, APS Specialist Vehicles, offering a selection of hand-picked vehicles, presented to the highest standard possible, but still ranging from family hatchbacks to sports, prestige and classic cars, particularly from the VW Audi Group.
Then, in 2019, as it increasingly attracted a customer base looking for bodyshop services, the company invested into its well-established neighbour, Merlin Bodycraft, and launched APS Merlin Bodycraft, to deal with anything from chips and scratches to accident damage and panel painting, as well as restoration and recommission works for customers old and new. Following this, in 2023, APS further invested in two more units to meet the ever increasing demand for car storage.
The APS workshop is led by Nathan Sammons and a highly skilled team of technicians and offers a broad range of services and maintenance using the latest diagnostic equipment. The workshop offers all aspects of service and maintenance including routine service works, fault-finding, air conditioning servicing, tyres, wheel alignment and MOTs, and has developed a highly regarded reputation for its levels of service.
Ed Jackson said: “We’ve grown into a company that offers affordable, specialist services all from one site, incorporating all things automotive and, for those looking to buy a car, it enables us to use our on-site resources to present our sales cars to the very highest standards.
“It’s not all about high performance cars though, our workshop caters for all.”
On the sales side, the stock is hand-picked by APS to meet its criteria rather than simply being a second-hand vehicle. Only vehicles that are well maintained, have some unique quality or are high spec for that particular model are chosen, and only around 10 or so vehicles are in stock at any one time. These are often vehicles that have been maintained in the workshop over the years, so the team knows the history of the car in detail and can explain its background to potential buyers, who want to know as much as possible about the car before they make a decision. APS predominantly works with vehicles from within the VW Audi Group, which also includes Seat and Skoda.
Ed Jackson said: “From our point of view as a business, it’s very important to have a great supply chain for parts and fast and efficient delivery. We’ve always specialised particularly in the VW Audi Group, and the extensive amount of suppliers that offer the parts we need for this brand on a daily basis enables us to offer our customers a fast and efficient level of service. There is never a good time to have your car off the road so the key thing for us is to be able to obtain parts quickly and accurately and get the customer back on the road.”
APS Specialist Vehicles’ car storage offering is provided through a fully staffed, discreet and highly secure facility that provides long and short-term storage options for owners. Vehicles held in storage can benefit from the other services on site including the workshop and bodyshop for regular maintenance, body work and detailing where required.
Earlier this year, in a diversion from four wheels to two, APS also launched Cycle Services, teaming up with high-performance cycle specialist Mark Akers to offer bike servicing and sales.
Ed said: “We’re very proud to be celebrating our 20th anniversary in December, growing from a single unit into what we offer today, having carefully expanded and investing significantly in the different businesses. We are passionate about what we do here and take great pride in the reputation we have worked hard to build over the last two decades.
“Growing a business is not easy but we are very fortunate to have a fantastic team of colleagues here that we work alongside each day and they, along with our loyal customers and suppliers, are all, of course, the key part of this growth.”
Find out more about the APS Group by visiting their website or call them on 01280 840491.
