Prodrive shifts up a gear

Prodrive is relocating to a larger facility in Banbury, UK, less than a mile from its present home. 

Construction of the new building, next to the M40 motorway, begins next month and the company will move during March 2015. 

“Our current site is not be suitable for our future needs,” said David Richards, chairman. “While motorsport remains our core business we have diversified into a number of new areas.”

“Our current site has become a familiar landmark on the M40 over the last 30 years. However, the increase in size of the facility will allow us to expand into new and exciting arenas beyond motorsport,” he added.

The new site will be Prodrive’s third headquarters, having been originally based at Silverstone in 1984, before moving to Banbury in 1986.  At that point, the company’s single building housed its then BMW race and rally teams and looked out on to fields.  It wasn’t until 1991 that the M40 was extended from Oxford to Birmingham passing right in front of the company’s headquarters. 

Over the last 28 years the company has expanded from one to 12 separate buildings.  The new facility is a single 110,000 square feet structure giving flexibility to house Prodrive’s motorsport and advanced technology businesses and allowing for a far more efficient operation. 

The company’s 40,000 square feet composite manufacturing operation will remain in Milton Keynes.

“While we are best known for our motorsport successes, this now accounts for a third of our turnover,” said Richards.  “Walk around our site today and you will see Aston Martin Racing cars and Mini rally cars being prepared in workshops next to advanced active aero systems for road-going supercars; interior modules for luxury cars; advanced hybrid systems; and even the next generation of control systems for racing yachts.”

Prodrive’s present headquarters will be cleared in September to make way for a new retail park that will open in late 2015.