Car lover’s dream job up for grabs

10 July, 2016

We all know working at an insurance company is boring, right? You’d be just another nameless employee stuck wearing a suit in an ivory tower … or would you?

The car lover’s insurance company, Classic Cover, couldn’t be further removed from that stereotype. They’re small, they don’t wear suits, and certainly don’t occupy a 20-story tower in the heart of the city.

They’re actually car lovers like you and I, except they work in the insurance industry — after all, it doesn’t pay that badly.

And now, due to their ever-increasing popularity with other car and motorbike lovers, they’re looking for staff.

The job that they’ve got up for grabs is a Client Support role, in which you’d be responsible for providing effective client service and support through all aspects of the role, including claims, solving client queries, processing of renewals, endorsements, and new business. 

It’s a busy role as you’ll spend the bulk of your time dealing directly with clients, so obviously you’ll not only have to be a great communicator, you’ll also need to know your way around developing and maintaining relationships with clients, providing quotes, and processing policies and claims, so experience in the insurance industry would be an advantage, but isn’t essential. 

What is essential is that you know your cars, love your cars, can work hard, and are willing to learn. Excellent time management and the ability to provide the highest standard of client service, with a focus on quality outcomes, are also necessary, along with an exceptional phone manner and proven ability to build rapport with clients. Essentially you need to be the person that, if you were the customer, you’d love to deal with. 

There’s plenty of hard work involved, but you’ll be working with a great team who also enjoy cars as well as a good laugh, and there’s great potential for career progression.

If this role sounds like something you would be interested in, fire through a CV and cover letter to [email protected]z

Range Rover CSK — the original SUV

The Range Rover, thanks to Charles Spencer King, went into production in 1970 boasting an iconic shape that would last until 1996. The vehicle that would create the SUV moniker came about because Rover decided it was time to add a bigger four-wheel-drive vehicle, one with a 100-inch wheelbase, to the model range. Land Rover made a 109-inch wheelbase model but the standard vehicle had a 88-inch wheelbase.
The new model would be more suitable for road use than the existing Land Rover, which was considered to be predominantly for rural use. To make sure it could cope on any road it came standard with the Rover 3.5-litre V8 engine. The body design was originally sketched by King and went into production with only a few minor touch-ups by the Rover styling team.
According to King, “The idea was to combine the comfort and on-road ability of a Rover saloon with the off-road ability of a Land Rover. Nobody was doing it.”

Ford’s Mustang – the endlessly hip American dream machine

Fifty or so years ago, the only place in New Zealand to see a Ford Mustang was on the racetrack. In a local market severely constrained by a lack of new motor vehicles, the new North American Ford was a dreamy icon boosted by considerable motorsport success.
Import licences for cars were limited, and if Kiwis travelled abroad, the amount of currency they could take with them was restricted. What’s more, those funds could not be used to buy a car for importation back home. Yet it was OK to spend the money on heavy drinking at a London pub, Gucci shoes, sable fur coats, and excessive stays at the Hôtel Martinez at Cannes in France.
However, any rare Mustang that landed on our shores would not be destined to pose around Auckland’s then trendy Queen Street on a Friday night but would more likely be found in the care of well-known racing drivers on the starting grid at local motor racing tracks.