Adaptacar Ltd

Vehicle adaptations for adapted driving in North Devon

Adaptacar Ltd is a company based in North Devon (United Kingdom) dedicated to the manufacture and installation of vehicle adaptations. Its work is focused on enabling people with reduced mobility to maintain their independence and continue driving safely. The company states that it has more than fifty years of experience in this field and presents itself as a specialist mobility centre.

Adaptation products and systems

The company's catalogue covers a wide spectrum of solutions, from the simplest to complex driving systems. Among the products it sells and installs are:

• Steering wheel aids.
• Push pull hand controls, a design that the company itself developed in its early days.
• Space Drive systems.
• Primary controls.
• Secondary controls.
• Seat modifications.
• Hoists.
• Vehicle access.
• General adaptations.

Space Drive: driving from a wheelchair

Adaptacar presents itself as one of the few qualified installers in the United Kingdom of the Space Drive systems, manufactured by the German company PARAVAN. According to the company, this technology allows people with minimal mobility or strength to drive safely from their wheelchair. The company refers to the adaptations page of its website for further information about this system.

History and family origins

The company was founded in 1972 by Peter and Cynthia Fairall in South Molton, North Devon, where it remains established. Peter Fairall, a car enthusiast, conceived Adaptacar's first push pull hand control, which is still the basis of the current model. In 1995 Stuart Courtney joined the family business and, in 2000, his wife Lorna, daughter of the founders, as the next generation at the head of the company. Since then the company has expanded into wheelchair accessible vehicles and a wider range of adaptations.

Approved installer for the Motability scheme

Adaptacar is listed as a registered and approved installer for the Motability scheme, an organisation that helps to fund vehicle adaptations by exchanging the mobility allowance to cover the lease of a new vehicle adapted to each user's specific needs.

Service and technical training

The company describes a personalised service and frequent investment in training so that its engineers carry out high-quality installations. In its presentation it highlights the quality of its workmanship and customer care as the cornerstones of its activity.

Customer reviews

The site includes testimonials from users who highlight the team's attentiveness. One customer mentions that, while they waited for various adaptations to be made to their car, the company drove them to a nearby village so they could walk around and have a coffee. Other comments praise the friendliness and professionalism of the staff, the longevity of the business relationship, the clarity of the explanations about installing a hoist, the proposal of solutions to the problems identified and the practical demonstration of the equipment until the user felt confident, as well as the after-sales service.

Location and contact

Pathfields Business Park, South Molton, Devon, EX36 3LH · Phone: 01769 572785 · Email: info@adaptacar.co.uk · Opening hours: Mon - Fri: 09:00 am to 5:00 pm; Saturday: Closed; Sunday: Closed