Ivan Dutton – A Life Less Ordinary

As we walk into the workshop, he’s in the back, filing what appears to be a large block of aluminium. Its nondescript blocky origins have been carefully whittled away though, and now it’s a sort of cone, if you will. Each push and slide of the file is delivered with an expert touch, in that fashion that just leaves you thinking ‘yeah, this fella knows what he’s doing’. We look around the rest of the workshop, neat and organised, with a place for everything, and everything in its place, it generates a pang of jealousy from within. We’d kill for such a workshop. It all belongs to the man on wielding file, Ivan Dutton, and as soon as he talks, the pang of jealousy fades. This is Ivan’s shed, his little hub of mechanical bliss, and he’s earned it. Ivan’s in his ’80s now, but it seems nobody has told him. Good.

That block of metal, he giddily tells us, is for his incredibly rare, custom-bodied 1920s Salmson trials car. He’s made this part from scratch, and what it does is relocate the gear shifter back about a foot. “When you’re doing trials, you need the shifter to be right there.” Explains Ivan. He’s giddy as he test fits it, and checks the movement of the linkage he’s created. He goes on to tell us how excited he is to get this car out on the trials. He’s designed it and built the body so there is more weight at the back, so better traction. It’s been built to compete. And compete it will. Ivan is not your typical pensioner. In fact, Ivan is not your typical anything. Instead, he’s a walking inspiration, an overall-clad mass of energy, enthusiasm and passion. Ivan is, in the best possible way, something else. Perhaps proof that classic cars are the key to eternal youth. They certainly seem to be doing the trick for him.

Born in 1940, Ivan Dutton has led a fascinating life. We won’t go into the full story here, as that’s what the two-part YouTube special we have filmed is for, and we would encourage you to have a watch. All you need to know here is that Ivan is a petrolhead through and through. A man led by passion and personal interest rather than what’s in fashion or popular. His motoring life started as a teenager, in a home-built Austin 7 special of his own creation. From there, he found himself working at the Chequered Flag during the golden age of motorsport, he worked on race cars and he would go on to find himself a racing champion behind the wheel of cars such a the Mk1 Escort and Ford Capri (remember the Super Brew Capris? That was Ivan). He would go on to restore Bugattis, and then he would set up a business – one that still exists today, now run under the watchful eye of Ivan’s son, Tim – that restores and maintains vintage Bugattis.

Ivan (white overalls), with his Super Brew Escort in which he became a champion

It’s over the last twenty years or so, however, that Ivan has really found his groove. He was seemingly a success at everything he touched beforehand, but now there is no pressure. Now, Ivan’s shed is a place where he can tinker, where he can play, and where he can scratch his every motoring itch. He’s living the dream, working on the cars he perhaps didn’t have time to engage with earlier in his life due to his busy schedule. That life of being busy has served Ivan well though. To you and I, he looks busy now, always tinkering, always working on something, always spannering. The reality, however, is that this is a gentle pace for Ivan. His idea of ‘gentle’ however, only serves to make him more impressive; most people in their 80s aren’t engineering bespoke components to improve the gear change on a one-of-one pre-war car.

And it doesn’t stop there. Upstairs in Ivan Dutton’s shed, we find an office. Lined with all sorts of fascinating automotive literature, motorsport trophies, parts and more, in the middle of which sits a bank of desks. Here, we find Ivan’s small team, including Tanya, his editor and camera operator. She’s there, busy editing the latest video for Ivan’s popular YouTube channel. Yes, that’s right, at 82 Ivan Dutton is taking over YouTube, and don’t think it’s just videos of him filing blocks of aluminium. It’s not. Instead, we see him trashing one of his little sprint racers around the field outside, we see him in racing cars, in his classic Mini, fixing things, engineering things and telling us all about it as he does so. It’s brilliant, grounded, engaging content. Proof that a bit of age, experience and genuine enthusiasm can go a lot further than your typical “Hey guys!” nonsense!

Ivan Dutton is everything that is right with the classic car world, and he’s the walking embodiment of why these old cars matter. There is of course the historical aspect, the history contained within them that can take us back in time – the cars Ivan owns are from a period of true ingenuity and evolution, not designed by computer or committee. While they may resemble nothing we have on the road today, the irony is that they paved the way and shaped what could be done in the future. But it’s not just about the cars, it’s about what they can do for us, as people. They remind us of a different time, but as Ivan goes to prove with some aplomb, they keep us active, they keep us sharp and they keep us motivated. They are so, so much more than just machines. Passion is a powerful thing.

If Ivan inspires you and you’re in the market for a classic car, checking out the FIA Race Cars for sale is a great place to start.