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Leigh battery specialist feature on Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars episode

Authentic - Host Paul Cowland with Neil Butterfield, group MD at Shield Batteries
Authentic - Host Paul Cowland with Neil Butterfield, group MD at Shield Batteries

A SMALL firm in Leigh was thrust into the spotlight when it made a guest appearance on a popular TV show to help repair a classic car.

Lincon Batteries, in Faraday Road, featured on Quest TV’s Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars as hosts Paul Cowland and Drew Pritchard visited Southend in a bid to bring one of Britain’s most iconic classic cars back to life.

The pair were restoring a Morris Minor for season 7 of the show – now available on streaming services online – and only one place in the UK remained where they could source an authentic rubber cased battery.

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In the episode, the duo visited Lincon Batteries, founded in 1908, where the team hand crafted an authentic battery for their project.

Echo: Historic - Lincon Batteries
Echo: Historic - Lincon Batteries

Historic - Lincon Batteries

Host Paul Cowland said: “Morris Minor fans want everything to be perfect.

“Normally in classic restorations we will just plonk a brand-new battery in there, but because the discerning owner that buys this car will want every detail to look right, we have to go the extra mile.”

He added: “Lincon created an overall appearance that was so beautiful and period correct.”

The Morris Minor is one of Britain’s most famous car models.

Fans of the historic vehicle often demand restorations are as faithful as possible to the original models.

Echo: Work to do - The Morris Minor pre restoration
Echo: Work to do - The Morris Minor pre restoration

Work to do - The Morris Minor pre restoration

As the only place left in the UK making hard rubber classic car batteries by hand, Lincon Batteries were vital to Salvage Hunter’s project to renovate a Morris Minor as authentically as possible.

The Morris Minor sold more than 1.6 million cars between 1948 and 1972 in three series.

Echo: Complete - the finished project
Echo: Complete - the finished project

Complete - the finished project

Neil Butterfield, group MD at Shield Batteries which took over the store in 2013, said: “We are proud to be the last remaining independent manufacturer these batteries.”

Echo: Hard work - The battery being built
Echo: Hard work - The battery being built

Hard work - The battery being built

Paula Tatchell, head of marketing at Shield Group said: “They contacted us as they wanted to restore a Morris Minor as authentically as possible and we are the only remaining battery manufacturer that make them by hand in the UK.

“We were delighted to offer our services, and welcomed them down to our site in Leigh in March of last year.”