WHEN it comes to building custom cars in the UK, there is only one man you need to know. Andy Saunders has been at the top of his game since he first picked up a hammer at 15.

Auto Trader's Stuart Milne caught up with Andy at The Road Ahead concept car show in London where his incredible Lancia Stratos 0 (right) has taken pride of place.

The road to the Stratos 0 has been a long and winding one. From building his first car - a questionably-styled but well executed Mk1 Escort, dubbed 'Bird Puller' - Andy has torn up the rule book to create a style all of his own.

Since then, he's invested up to 5,000 hours into his biggest projects.

His spaceship-inspired X-2000 was originally designed for Ford as a styling exercise in 1958 but it was never built until the Andy took the initiative.

The Aurora - possibly the world's ugliest car - was restored from the ground up and is the only known example in existence.

Both cars are on permanent display at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu.

Andy is a devotee of 1950s Americana, but will take inspiration from anywhere. His wild Bentley 'Mentley Insanne' Mulsanne had its roof lowered and a set of 20 inch chrome wheels makes
it every inch the ultimate ride for the self respecting gangsta rapper.

The famously fastidious Rolls Royce & Bentley Owners Club voted it Car of the Month, while Custom Car magazine received complaints when they put it on their cover. Some people, eh?

Andy also appears in the Guinness Book of Records for building the world's lowest car. His Mini estate-based Claustrophobia got Norris McWhirter hot under the collar back in 1985, and no wonder because it measures just 34½ inches from wheels to roof.