ReFuel Southwest (or Re:Fuel to stick with the official branding) is the brainchild of Dan Regan and Matt Young; two petrolheads who live and work in the Southwest.
They met through working in the automotive industry, became friends because of their love of cars, have since worked together in the world of motorsport, and have had more road trips than hot dinners (haven’t we all?). Refuel Southwest came about after yet another petrolhead-fuelled road trip, and they asked themselves ‘why shouldn’t we create something like this, right here in the Southwest?‘… rather than having to drive hours just to get our fix of beautiful, strange and exotic cars.
Refuel Southwest was born
The inspiration for ReFuel came from far and wide. We’ve already talked about how Caffeine and Machine have inspired us, but our backgrounds also gently threw Dan & Matt in this direction too.
Dan spent the best part of the last seven years working in the automotive industry. He has an engineering background and has built cars from the ground up; ask him about his classic Beetle, she’s gorgeous and he knows every nut & bolt that holds her together.
Matt’s background is a little more hands-off. Although he tinkered with cars in his teenage years and went through the YTS scheme (yep, he’s THAT old) whilst working for an Audi/VW dealership, Matt would rather appreciate vehicles and their beauty, than help create it.
So, what’s next?
In plain and simple terms, we’re on the lookout for a full-time venue!
Although we love Froginwell Vineyard and cannot thank Kate (the owner) enough for allowing us to launch the ReFuel journey at her stunning venue, we want to be open ALL THE TIME. Froginwell is often hired out over a weekend for weddings, and as anyone who’s tied the knot can appreciate, they don’t want to share that day with a bunch of strangers, no matter how cool their cars are! So, keep ’em peeled and let us know if you spot a suitable venue!
We obviously need land… a lot of land, preferably level and with as much hard standing as possible (although, we’re happy to get our shovels and spades out to make it that way ourselves) but equally, we’d love a venue where you can come inside too, enjoy a coffee, something to eat and time to sit and contemplate your next project/adventure/purchase.
Until then though, we’ll continue to bring you open days as often as possible (at least once a month). Winter is heading our way, so we’re working on making ReFuel Southwest bigger and better every month and if we can get a venue ready for you by the time the cold weather sets in, we promise to offer you a warm welcome, surrounded by beautiful cars, great people and even better coffee!
Over & Out, Re:Fuel Southwest.