About Us

Way back in 1963 my father, Christopher Spratt, decided to start trading vehicles and in 1967 formed his own company ‘C.J.Spratt Motors’. After making a success of his business for a number of years in Bishop’s Waltham he expanded the business to include a large garage premises in Wickham near Portsmouth in 1983. The business continued to grow and in 1986 became limited. The Wickham branch of C.J.Spratt Limited went on to become a Nissan main agent in 1987 and after a short spell in 1991 as a Renault agent became a main agent again in 1993 for Suzuki cars. The business was now well established and during this period my father had the opportunity to take a step back and enjoy his passion for classic Jaguar cars. He, with the help of a good work force, restored one of his childhood dreams and in 1993 won the prestigious ‘Beaulieu Concours d'Elegance’ on Jaguar Day with his 'perfect' 1958 Jaguar XK150 3.4 Drop Head Coupe...no mean feat. This was obviously something he did well and although continuing to sell the more prestigious vehicles from his home in Bishop's Waltham for the business continued to tinker with classic Jaguars as more of a hobby, enjoying a semi-retirement role. During 2010, after a period of 43 years in the motor trade and nearly 10,000 cars sold, the decision was made to 'down size' the business. The premises in Wickham were sold and the business still continues on a more relaxed level in Bishop’s Waltham.

I joined my fathers company in 1991 as an apprentice two days a week in both the Mechanical and Bodywork departments.  I also spent three days a week at a technical college. My father gave me a rusty old Volkswagen Beetle as part of my apprenticeship, which I had to completely strip and re-build during the day-release days from college. After becoming fully qualified in 1994 I continued to work in the workshops on a full time basis. Most of my time was spent servicing and repairing vehicles, sometimes assisting my father with his classic projects. In 2001 I was appointed Workshop Manager but still maintained a very hands-on role in the workshops. The E-Type Roadster that you will see featured on our Website was restored around this time. Every aspect of the car was restored by us and I can personally lay claim to all the mechanical renovation work. The car ‘358 KNP’ is also heavily featured in the Haynes published ‘Jaguar E-Type, Portrait of a design icon’ by Glen Smale. I also pursued one of my own passions at this time, motorsport, track-preparing a Volkswagen Golf and visiting a number of circuits such as ‘The Nurburgring’, ‘Goodwood’, ‘Brands Hatch’ to name a few. After selling the Golf I bought my first Porsche and in my spare time totally re-built it with the intention of competing in hillclimbs. At this point I met my wife Giulia. My idea of hillclimbing was shelved and my motoring interests turned to road cars once again. I owned and enjoyed a number of my favourite cars including - Lancia Delta Integrale, Porsche 911, Lancia Fulvia, Alfa Romeo Giulia – some of which are featured on my website. In 2006 I decided to start my own car sales business ‘Auto-Cult’ in Wickham and with my experience and enthusiasm in the motoring culture have enjoyed watching my business grow.

With the Wickham property sale at the end of 2010, my father and I decided to concentrate together on C.J.Spratt Limited so Auto-Cult was merged into it.  My father will never really be able to turn his back on cars as it’s in his blood – I know the feeling - and together we'll continue to enjoy selling vehicles on our trusted reputation, looking forward to the company’s future.

Jim Spratt.

'AUTO-CULT' is a trading name of C.J.Spratt Ltd. Established 1967