Twisted Automotive launches showroom in converted cinema
Twisted Automotive has unveiled a new 8,500 sq ft showroom in a converted cinema today – five years to the day that Jaguar Land Rover ceased production of the Defender.
Founder Charles Fawcett bought the historic Gaiety Cinema in Long Street, Thirsk, last year and has spent the past seven months converting it into a modern showroom with a coffee bar and events space.
The original cinema screen has been replicated, with the aim of hosting exclusive, motoring themed functions when Covid restrictions allow.
Twisted’s existing HQ at Sussex Court on the outskirts of the town will be retained as a workshop facility, with sales, marketing and reception staff transferring to the new showroom.
He says the move marks a change in direction for Twisted in its 21st anniversary year.
Towards the end of 2020, the brand licences for Twisted US, Middle East and EV were sold to a consortium of investors while a small showroom was opened close to the home of British motor racing, Silverstone.
The intention for 2021, said Fawcett, was to concentrate on re-engineering fewer vehicles, with an emphasis on creating only the very highest-specification cars.
Integral to this is the launch of the showroom in tandem with significant investment in the Thirsk factory, adding more ramps and growing Twisted’s team of technicians.
The showroom will be home to around 25 vehicles, including a number of the 61 remaining from the batch of 240 last of the line Defender that Twisted bought back in January 2016.
The building itself dates back to July 1914, when it opened as the Gaiety Cinema on Long Street. It was badly damaged by fire in 1930 – in allegedly suspicious circumstances – and was later acquired by a tyre fitting company.
Fawcett said: “In the spring and summer of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic brought the world to a standstill.
“We had a rare opportunity to reflect on where we were as a business and where we were heading.
“It became obvious that we had deviated slightly from our original intention to make the Defender the very best it can be.
“We had grown so much over the past 18 months or so. However, I realised that bigger is not always better and we needed to go back to our roots and our original philosophy, building fewer vehicles so that the customer journey can be given the same attention as the vehicles themselves.
“Central to this will be our new showroom, which we hope will be somewhere where people can call in, grab a coffee, share stories and see our vehicles up close – as well as maybe a boat or even a rally car.”
