Litchfield Motors: Founder, History, Nissan GT-R Work and Company Facts

Litchfield Motors has been around for decades, yet the business is still closely tied to one name: Iain Litchfield.

He started young.

What began with imported performance cars grew into a specialist operation handling servicing, ECU work, engine builds, transmissions, suspension, dyno testing, bodywork and parts.

The scale is easy to miss if you know Litchfield mainly from tuned Nissan GT-Rs.

Its Gloucestershire site currently lists 23 MAHA supercar ramps, a climate-controlled four-wheel-drive dyno, an engine dyno, machining equipment, an engine-build room, gearbox tools, alignment systems and its own development cars.

Then there is the Nissan connection.

Nissan UK’s own dealer directory lists Litchfield Motors (Service Only) as a Service Centre, Parts Department and NISMO Centre.

That tells you how far the business has moved from its early import days.

Quick Facts About Litchfield Motors

The legal-company details above are backed by Companies House, while Nissan independently confirms the current Nissan service listing.

What Is Litchfield Motors?

Litchfield Motors is a British performance-car specialist based near Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire.

Tuning is still a big part of the business.

But that description alone feels too small.

The company handles servicing, mechanical repairs, engine work, ECU calibration, gearbox work, suspension, wheel alignment, brakes, dyno testing, track preparation and performance parts.

There is also body and paint work, vehicle protection, storage and transport.

Litchfield says its servicing work currently covers performance cars from brands including Audi, BMW, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Porsche.

So yes, this is a tuning company.

It is also a workshop, engine facility, service centre and development business.

Who Founded Litchfield Motors?

Iain Litchfield founded the business.

His own company profile says he started while still at school with the goal of working around sports cars. He remains an active director today.

The early story was fairly raw.

According to a detailed evo profile, Iain was taking an A-level Business course when he started thinking seriously about importing sports cars.

He had seen cheap Mazda MX-5s in America and built a business-school project around importing them.

Then he tried the idea for real.

The first car was not a hit.

He kept trying.

Right-hand-drive cars sourced through the Japanese-import market offered a better path, and Litchfield Imports started to take shape.

That early history still shows up in the legal name used by the current trading business.

When Was Litchfield Motors Founded?

The business traces its roots to the late 1990s.

Litchfield’s LM20 page says that 2017 marked 20 years in business, which places those roots around 1997.

The limited companies came later.

Litchfield Motors Limited, company number 04617558, was incorporated on 13 December 2002.

Litchfield Imports (Gloucestershire) Limited, company number 07135006, was incorporated on 25 January 2010.

Litchfield’s current terms say customer contracts are with Litchfield Imports (Glos.) Ltd trading as Litchfield.

That distinction matters.

The brand history, Litchfield Motors Limited and the current trading company do not all start on the same date.

Litchfield Motors Timeline

Litchfield confirms the 2008 site move and 2014 dyno opening on its own pages.

Subaru Helped Build the Name

Before the Nissan GT-R became the car most people linked with Litchfield, there was Subaru.

A lot of Subaru.

Litchfield became known for Japanese-market Imprezas, including cars that were difficult to buy through normal UK channels.

The Impreza Spec C became an important development car.

The business started looking beyond engine output and paid close attention to suspension and chassis behaviour.

That work later fed into the Litchfield Type 25, one of the cars that pushed the company beyond straightforward importing.

Evo‘s history of the business describes those Subaru years as a major part of Litchfield’s early growth.

But the market was about to change.

So was Litchfield.

The Nissan GT-R Changed the Business

Iain Litchfield saw the R35 Nissan GT-R at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show.

He was there looking at Subaru’s new Impreza.

Then Nissan’s GT-R caught his eye.

According to Iain’s account to evo, he spent time looking closely at the engineering underneath the car and quickly saw the tuning potential.

Litchfield brought an early R35 into Europe around the end of 2007.

From there, the business started putting serious time and money into the GT-R.

That choice worked.

The R35 became one of the main cars associated with the Litchfield name.

Why the GT-R Fit Litchfield So Well

The R35 had huge headroom for tuning.

Its twin-turbo V6 could make much more power than the standard car, but pushing output higher meant other parts of the car had to cope too.

Litchfield started working across the whole package.

That included:

• ECU calibration
• Exhaust systems
• Turbo upgrades
• Intercoolers
• Fuel systems
• Engine builds
• Dual-clutch gearbox work
• Suspension
• Brakes
• Wheel alignment
• Diagnostics
• Servicing

The company also invested in Nissan diagnostic equipment and trained staff.

By 2020, evo reported that GT-R work made up about half of Litchfield’s business at that time.

That percentage is historical, so it should not be treated as the current split.

Litchfield Motors and Nissan Today

The Nissan connection is now official.

Litchfield says it is an official Nissan Authorised Service and High Performance Centre.

Nissan UK’s own network backs up the service relationship.

Its dealer page lists Litchfield Motors in Tewkesbury as offering:

• Service Centre
• Parts Department
• NISMO Centre
• Small van servicing
• Large van servicing

The Nissan page also lists the same telephone number and business location used by Litchfield.

That official listing matters more than a marketing claim.

Nissan itself shows Litchfield inside its UK network.

What Does Litchfield Motors Do?

Here is the simple answer.

It works on performance cars, from routine servicing through to major mechanical and tuning jobs.

Performance Tuning

Litchfield develops ECU maps and performance packages for several makes.

Depending on the car, work may include:

• ECU changes
• Intake upgrades
• Exhaust systems
• Intercoolers
• Turbo changes
• Fuel-system work

The business tests many of these packages using its own cars and dyno equipment.

Servicing

Servicing is a large part of the day-to-day workshop.

Litchfield advertises service work for Nissan, Porsche, BMW, McLaren, Audi, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and other performance brands.

It also lists dealer-level systems including Nissan Consult, Porsche PIWIS, BMW ISTA, VAG ODIS and McLaren diagnostics.

Engine Building

Some jobs go much deeper.

Litchfield’s facility includes a dedicated engine-build clean room, machining equipment and a SuperFlow engine dyno.

That allows the company to handle serious engine work in-house.

The GT-R is one of the main examples.

Gearbox Work

High-powered GT-Rs can put serious load through the transmission.

Litchfield lists dedicated dual-clutch transmission repair and upgrade equipment at its workshop.

The business also works with other performance cars using dual-clutch gearboxes.

Suspension and Geometry

Litchfield has spent years testing suspension changes.

Its current equipment list includes dedicated alignment ramps, Hunter Elite alignment machines and Road Force wheel balancing equipment.

The point is simple.

Power alone is not the whole job.

Dyno Testing

Litchfield opened its custom dyno and workshop setup in 2014.

The current site lists a MAHA MSR500 four-wheel-drive dyno in a climate-controlled cell plus a separate SuperFlow engine dyno.

That gives the team a way to test changes before and after tuning.

How Big Is the Litchfield Workshop?

The current Litchfield site lists 23 MAHA supercar ramps.

There is quite a lot around those ramps.

The official facilities list includes:

• Four-wheel-drive rolling road
• Engine dyno
• Machine shop
• Digital mills
• Lathes
• Honing machines
• Engine-build clean room
• Dual-clutch gearbox equipment
• Fuel-injector testing
• Alignment ramps
• Wheel balancing equipment
• MOT facilities
• Development cars
• Race and track-car preparation
• Vehicle storage

Litchfield also says it has continued growing the Deerhurst site since moving there in 2008.

This is one of the clearest ways to understand the business.

It has built a lot of the work around one location instead of sending every specialist job elsewhere.

Which Cars Does Litchfield Work On?

The Nissan GT-R still gets much of the attention.

But Litchfield’s current work covers far more.

The company names brands such as:

• Audi
• BMW
• Ferrari
• McLaren
• Mercedes-Benz
• Nissan
• Porsche
• Subaru
• Volkswagen

Its facilities page also lists development cars from Toyota, Alpine, Ford, Tesla, Chevrolet and other makers.

The company has owned multiple GT-Rs, Porsche 911s, BMW M cars, Toyota GR Yaris models and McLarens for development work.

That is an important part of how Litchfield says it works.

The team can test parts on its own cars before asking customers to try them.

Litchfield Nissan GT-R Tuning Stages

Litchfield still publishes a full R35 GT-R stage programme.

Current published power levels are:

These are Litchfield’s published package figures.

They should not be read as a promise that every GT-R will produce the exact same dyno result.

Cars differ.

Fuel differs.

Mechanical condition differs too.

What Was the Litchfield LM20?

The LM20 was a special GT-R created to mark Litchfield’s 20 years in business.

It appeared in 2017.

Litchfield limited the car to 20 units, and its own page says the last one sold in early 2018.

Published output was:

666 bhp / 675 PS

Torque was listed at 834 Nm.

The car did not stop with an ECU map.

Its package covered engine parts, suspension, brakes, wheels, tyres and carbon exterior pieces.

That makes the LM20 a useful example of how Litchfield approaches a full-car project.

McLaren Work

McLaren has become another part of Litchfield’s service and tuning work.

The company advertises servicing and upgrades for several McLaren models and lists McLaren-specific diagnostic and workshop equipment.

Its McLaren service area also uses the same 23-ramp facility, engine dyno, machine shop, gearbox area, body shop and vehicle-protection areas used by the wider business.

That shows how broad the current operation has become.

The old image of Litchfield as mainly a Subaru or GT-R shop no longer tells the whole story.

Toyota GR Yaris and Other Development Cars

Litchfield’s own development-car list includes both first and second-generation Toyota GR Yaris models.

Porsche is another big area.

The same list includes several generations and versions of the 911, plus Cayman-based GT cars.

BMW M cars appear heavily too.

The company has used everything from an E92 M3 to newer M2, M3 and M5 models for development.

The method stays fairly consistent.

Buy the car.

Drive it.

Test parts.

Change what needs changing.

Then check the result.

Does Litchfield Make Its Own Parts?

Some work is developed and made in-house, while other products come through outside suppliers and engineering partners.

Litchfield’s own facility includes machining and fabrication equipment.

The company lists digital mills, lathes, honing machines, CAD work and 3D-printing equipment among its tools and development resources.

That gives the team room to build and test parts rather than relying only on ready-made components.

Where Is Litchfield Motors Based?

The business operates from the Deerhurst area near Tewkesbury.

Companies House lists the main trading company’s registered office as:

Highfield Farmhouse
Tewkesbury Road
Deerhurst
Gloucestershire
GL19 4BP

Nissan lists Litchfield Motors at Highfield Business Park, Tewkesbury, GL19 4BP.

The two descriptions point to the same Litchfield site.

Litchfield Motors Opening Hours

Nissan UK currently lists these service hours:

Main telephone: 01684 216000.

Is Litchfield Motors a Car Dealer?

Partly, but that needs some explanation.

Companies House lists Litchfield Motors Limited under two business activities:

• Sale of used cars and light motor vehicles
• Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles

Nissan, though, lists the Tewkesbury location as “Service Only.”

So a reader should not picture a normal full-range Nissan showroom.

The public-facing business is heavily centred on servicing, engineering, tuning and performance-car work.

Who Owns Litchfield Motors?

The legal structure needs a little care.

Companies House records Iain Douglas Litchfield as a person with significant influence or control over Litchfield Motors Limited.

It also records Movit UK Limited as holding 75% or more of the shares and voting rights in Litchfield Motors Limited.

Iain Litchfield remains an active director.

So saying simply “Iain owns 100% of Litchfield Motors” would not match the current Companies House record.

How Many Employees Does Litchfield Motors Have?

There is no verified current workforce figure that I would present as fact.

Evo reported 25 employees in 2020.

That number is useful for understanding the business at that point in time.

It is not a confirmed 2026 headcount.

The current Litchfield team page lists staff across management, servicing and technical roles, but it does not give a simple current total.

What Is Litchfield Motors’ Revenue?

A trustworthy current revenue figure is not publicly available from the records checked for this article.

Companies House shows that both Litchfield Motors Limited and Litchfield Imports (Gloucestershire) Limited remain active, with their latest accounts made up to 31 December 2024 at the time checked.

Public company pages may display estimates.

Those estimates should not be treated as confirmed turnover.

The same problem applies to a supposed company valuation.

No verified current Litchfield Motors valuation was found.

Is Litchfield Motors Still Active?

Yes.

Both Litchfield Motors Limited and Litchfield Imports (Gloucestershire) Limited are listed as active by Companies House.

Nissan UK also currently lists the Tewkesbury operation in its dealer and service network.

So there is clear current evidence that the business is operating.

What Makes Litchfield Motors Different?

The answer sits in the history.

Litchfield did not stay stuck in one type of work.

Imports led to Subaru.

Subaru work pushed the team toward suspension and chassis development.

The GT-R pushed it toward engines, gearboxes, ECU calibration and higher-power testing.

Then came Porsche, BMW, McLaren, Toyota and other cars.

The equipment grew with the workload.

That is probably the simplest way to understand Litchfield today.

It started as a small performance-car business.

It grew into a much larger specialist workshop with several technical departments under one roof.

Final Thoughts

Litchfield Motors has changed a lot since its first years.

The roots sit in imported performance cars.

Subaru helped build the early name.

Then the Nissan GT-R arrived, and Litchfield spent years learning how to service, tune and rebuild one of the most complicated performance cars of its generation.

The business kept building from there.

Right now, Litchfield lists 23 workshop ramps, dyno facilities, engine-building space, machining tools, gearbox equipment, alignment systems and its own development cars.

Nissan UK now lists the company as a Service Centre, Parts Department and NISMO Centre.

That tells the story quite well.

Litchfield started outside the normal dealer system.

Years later, it sits inside Nissan’s official UK service network while still doing the performance work that made its name.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Litchfield Motors?

Litchfield Motors is a UK performance-car servicing, tuning and engineering business based near Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.

Who founded Litchfield Motors?

Iain Litchfield founded the business and remains an active director.

When did Litchfield Motors start?

Litchfield marked 20 years in business in 2017, placing its business roots around 1997.

Where is Litchfield Motors located?

It operates from Highfield Business Park in the Deerhurst and Tewkesbury area of Gloucestershire, postcode GL19 4BP.

Is Litchfield Motors an official Nissan centre?

Yes. Nissan UK currently lists Litchfield Motors as a Service Centre, Parts Department and NISMO Centre.

Is Litchfield Motors a Nissan GT-R specialist?

Yes. Litchfield has worked with the R35 Nissan GT-R since the model’s early years in Europe.

Does Litchfield Motors only tune Nissan GT-Rs?

No. The company also works with Porsche, BMW, McLaren, Audi, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and other performance cars.

Does Litchfield Motors build engines?

Yes. Its site lists a dedicated engine-build room, machine shop and SuperFlow engine dyno.

How many workshop ramps does Litchfield Motors have?

Litchfield currently lists 23 MAHA supercar ramps.

What is the Litchfield LM20?

The LM20 was a limited-run Nissan GT-R package launched for Litchfield’s 20-year business milestone. Only 20 units were offered, with published power of 666 bhp.

Who owns Litchfield Motors?

Companies House records Movit UK Limited as holding 75% or more of the shares and voting rights in Litchfield Motors Limited. Iain Litchfield is recorded as having significant influence or control.

How many people work at Litchfield Motors?

A verified current figure is not publicly confirmed. Evo reported 25 employees in 2020.

What is Litchfield Motors’ annual revenue?

A verified current turnover figure was not found in the public records checked for this article.

What is Litchfield Motors worth?

No trustworthy current company valuation is publicly available.

Is Litchfield Motors still operating?

Yes. Its main companies are active at Companies House, and Nissan UK currently lists Litchfield Motors in its service network.

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