Titch Cormack: It’s better to keep something than do without

A man who spends his day in a shop building custom bikes and cars is often surprised by the quality or complexity of the vehicles he drives. Titch Cormack, ex-special forces officer, has admitted to TG that he owns a Renault Trafic van.

No iron-blocked V8 muscle cars or classics that have been restomodified. No, a humble French van. One he has had for many years. But the presenter The SpeedshopThis Sunday’s broadcast on BBC Two could have featured something more exotic than the Renault.

I had always wanted a Porsche 911 964, the Bad Boysone. Turbo, he said. They weren’t that expensive back then. I told my mum that I had found my dream car. It was close to 32k at that time. She advised me to not be so foolish and to invest in an ISA. It’s safe. I invested all my money in an ISA, just like an idiot.

A pause. He laughs, feeling a bit ashamed. If I had the Porsche, I would have quadrupled or tripled my money. Titch is politely told by TG that he would have probably got more. TheBad Boys’ Porsche 964 was recently sold at auction for $1.3 million. It’s a gutting reply. That’s right, mum.

The SpeedshopTitch returns for a new series. He is a former commando, and later, a chief mobility instructor at SBS. Titch and his crew build custom machines in their hangout. He explained that I started the shop as a man cave. I created an environment I enjoyed being in. It was a surprise that people liked it. I was building custom bikes, and then Billy joined me.

We had built a few items for people with disabilities, but we also did work for Billy who doesn’t have the use of his right arm. We were able to ride the bike for Chris. [in 2020]. Chris had lost a leg. We had never done anything for someone with a missing leg before. It was an amazing experience to see how much freedom he had and what he could do afterward. (Titch informs us that Chris is riding for the True Heroes British superbikes teams.

The first episode begins with Toby building a bike for Toby, who was seriously injured while on duty in Afghanistan. He was left paralysed and on a ventilator following the incident. It was impossible because it had never been done before. There were many powers-to-be who said it couldn’t be done.

Titch and the crew were enthused by this, which only made it more motivating. It was a difficult task to design it around Toby’s disability and get him back on the road. It was a great job.

Titch is not one to shy away from a challenge. Titch is asked by TG about difficult builds that he can’t handle. He laughs, saying that he will take on anything from both an engineering and physical perspective. I don’t fear failure. It’s usually the finances that stop some of the more extreme projects.

This evidence is apparent throughout the series. Titch and his team adapt buggies to a pair of disabled veterans, who drive it through Morocco. You can drive, but not only drive. very quicklyTitch says Titch has three working limbs and he was able to travel through Morocco. For me, the Weston beach race, on a 1974 bicycle, was one of the highlights. It had been something I wanted to do since childhood.

Bikes. He’s got quite a few. Where do I begin? I race a Husqvarna 350. An old 2000 CR250 is my motocross bike. It’s an amazing two-stroke. I also own a 1982 Armstrong twinshock bike, a 1974 Honda XL350 on which I raced Weston Beach, and my Triumph Bonneville, my go-to everyday machine. 2003, carburetted.

There’s a lot of classic stuff inside, as you’ll see. He believes that the best thing for the environment is to use an old vehicle. Keep your old vehicles in good condition. It is best to keep an existing thing in order to protect the environment.

He speaks about the Hillman Super Minx that was featured in the first series. The Speedshop. It was made from cast iron. Never wears down. We began talking to owners groups and found that many people had cars with over 300,000 miles. The manual was even written so you could repair it.

You can repair it on your drive. This is what those old machines looked like. This explains the van.

The Speedshop returns Sunday, 8pm on BBC Two