PARTS FOR ART'S SAKE

Automotive sculptor Geoffrey Escudero tells John Evans about his finest works so far

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As the electric era looms closer, how can the car enthusiast mark the passing of the internal combustion engine and, in particular, the legendary straight-six, V8 and V12 engines of yore? Easy with an engine-based coffee table.

Granted, engine tables are not everyone’s cup of cappuccino and, frankly, many of them look like someone just took a Ford Duratec out of a scrapped Mondeo and stuck a piece of glass on top of it. Not so, the engine tables sold by The Supercar Store. They include a table based on a Rover 3.5-litre V8 taken from a Land Rover, another on a 3.6-litre flat six from a Porsche 911 996 GT3 RSR and, my favourite, one based on a 2.0-litre V6 from a Maserati Biturbo. Prices start at £1575 for the Land Rover V8 table. Not cheap, clearly, but real conversation pieces and, if you're into engines, things of beauty.

 

Not that you have to spend thousands. At Engine Table UK, the firm's sibling company, prices start at £649 for a table based around" a Rover V8. What you get for your money is the engine block with its bores exposed and a piston at each corner to support the glass top. În contrast, most of the more expensive and rarefied tables at The Supercar Store are based on complete engines. In fact, they look like they could be refitted to the cars they came from, but behind the fresh paint and polished alloy, they're damaged beyond repair. They come from various sources, including garages and specialist vehicle breakers.