and the team at Pirtek Nottingham,” Sharpe asserts. Sharpes of Nottingham splits its impressive fleet in two: a traditional hire fleet; and a labour-of-love heritage fleet. The hire fleet comprises 18 vehicles and includes some stunning executive and club class coaches. One of the latest vehicles to join the company fleet is a Van Hool TDX21 Altano. This vehicle has the flexibility to accommodate up to 70 passengers in normal configuration, or in “Club Class” mode comfortably accommodate 60 passengers with five table arrangements. Upholstered in beautiful leathers, the seating has been designed with supreme comfort in mind, with reclining action, footrests, and integral tables. Each Passenger has a Personal Service Unit (PSU), providing individual climate control, reading and night lighting. The Van Hool TDX21 Altano also has the facility to accommodate one wheelchair passenger, with access from the pavement by way of a demountable ramp through the front entrance door. Equally impressive – though for different reasons – are the company’s Platinum TX27 Astromegas, double-decker coaches that can seat up to 83 passengers comfortably. The heritage fleet comprises 12 vehicles including the jewel in the company’s crown; a 1973 AEC 760 Plaxton Panarama Elite III. The stunning coach was supplied new to C G Littlewoods of Sheffield before being owned and operated by Lamcote Coaches, a company that the Sharpe’s family had links with for many years. The previous owner Fowlers of Holbeach, had owned it for over 20 years, the last eight of which saw the coach in storage. During 2012, Sharpe of Nottingham
commissioned a full restoration of both the interior and exterior, returning it to its full 1970s glory. The hire and the heritage fleet place very specific demands on the company’s own maintenance team and – by extension – on Pirtek Nottingham. “For the hire fleet, preventive maintenance is the key. These vehicles are only earning money and achieving customer satisfaction while they are running efficiently,” Neil Sharpe explains. “So each coach is checked regularly and potential faults are fixed before they turn into downtime.” The award-winning heritage fleet requires similar levels of care but places additional demands on the team at Pirtek. “The age of some of the heritage coaches means that spare parts are not readily available off-the-shelf, and we often call upon Pirtek Nottingham to manufacture replacement parts that we cannot source ourselves,” he says. “In addition, heritage coach competitions are extremely exacting. They’re like beauty pageants. The coaches are not judged solely on how they run but also how they look. So all the parts and hoses Pirtek supplies have to look right too.” With its range of diverse and exacting requirements, Sharpes of Nottingham could easily be a demanding customer. Instead, Neil Sharpe and Pirtek Nottingham’s Steve Maguire share a relationship that is based on trust and friendship. “It is not unusual for Steve to call in to our depot on his way to work or to drop by on his way home, just to make sure that we have everything we need,” Neil Sharpe concludes. “But even by Steve’s usual high standards, braving the M1 on a Friday night really went above and beyond the call of duty.”
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