Craig Cheetham
Title: Classics and vans expert
Craig Cheetham attended his first motoring press launch at the age of 17, when working as a junior reporter on a local newspaper in Cheshire.
The car was the 1994 Jaguar XJ6 and the editor had told Jaguar he wanted to experience the drive from the back seat “like a true Jaguar owner”. The reality was that he’d lost his driving licence so took the office boy with him, but it gave Craig a springboard into the world of motoring journalism, as well as leaving such an impression that he hasn’t been without a Jaguar XJ since he was 25.
In 1998, he joined Classic Car Weekly after studying Journalism at the University of Teesside, and went on to work for Practical Classics and Land Rover Owner International, before joining Auto Express in 2001.
In 2005, he jumped the fence into PR, fending off journalists on behalf of General Motors. He became PR manager for Vauxhall Fleet and Vauxhall Commercial Vehicles, then was head of PR for Chevrolet UK, before become GM’s youngest-ever board member at the age of 34, as Communications Director at GM Holden in Australia.
On returning to the UK, Craig set up a PR agency for Newspress UK, before biting the bullet and starting his own business in 2018. He mostly specialises in commercial vehicle and motor trade journalism, while also actively writing about classic cars. He contributes to HonestJohn Vans and also supports heycar with PR
activity.
What advice would you give to car buyers?
Make sure the car you buy is the car you want – it might not be the best-in-class at anything, but it’s you that has to live with it, day-in, day-out, so it really helps if it means something to you. No matter how well-rated a car might be, rule it out straight away if it doesn’t appeal to your tastes, or you’ll never bond with it. When I was running company cars and had a young family, I had several Vauxhall Zafiras in succession. They were all faultless and brilliant at being family cars, but I hated every single one…
Also, don’t be pressurised into taking out finance you don’t need. As my old man always told me, “if you can’t afford it, don’t get it”.
What was your first car?
It was 1994, and I was given a choice between two absolute snotters that had been traded in at our village garage and still had a bit of MoT left. They were a 1982 Fiat Panda and a 1979 Austin Allegro. I chose the Allegro because it looked like it might go through another MoT. It was a two-door in bright orange, and my abiding memory of it was seeing it repeatedly drive past the window of my A-Level French reading exam with my mates ‘windsurfing’ on the roof, as one of the so-and-sos had nicked my keys from my bag.
What cars do you currently own?
I have too many to list, but the constants are my 2000 Jaguar XJ8 4.0 Sovereign, my 1997 Range Rover P38a, my 1996 Alfa Romeo 916 Spider, my 1997 BMW 318i, my 1997 MGF and my 1988 Volvo 240. It’s fair to say that I like a classic...
