OUR HISTORY
OUR HISTORY
Individual Specialist Cars has a culturally rich and fascinating history that branches across the world from India and Pakistan and back to the UK. With three generations contributing to the success of this passionate family owned business, the team's investment and loyalty to the company is unparalleled.
India
The secret to ISC’s success is great service, and it’s immediately apparent that our directors, Amer and Zee were born to give customers exactly that. In the early 1920s their grandfather established Mirza Allah Ditta Motors in Jhansi, India as a Buick Importer and Concessionaire for Peugeot. By 1935, through their emphasis on quality customer service and developing loyalties, the brother’s great grandparents had started selling Austins, Morrises and Buicks to the Maharajas (princes) of India.
To the right you can see Mohammed Baig Mirza (the baby) and the original Mirza Allah Ditta Motors team.
Pakistan
After India gained independence in 1947, the family moved to Pakistan and opened the first Peugeot dealer in the country in 1955, followed by a ŠKODA dealership. The family took great pride in making customers happy to guarantee repeat business.
"The Mirza family was renowned for their quality of work and the attitude to be the best at what you do, in those days they were a force to be reckoned and you were a brave person to confront them! So we’ve learnt from the best, having integrity and respect for yourself and others around you has always been a very important message that has been passed on to us together with the skills and know how to provide the service and build relationships around us.”
Zee Mirza
Birmingham
Amer and Zee picked up the family tradition for satisfying customers when they started apprenticeships at BMW. After 18 years they left BMW and started an interior design company with a twist; fixtures and fittings in houses were painted as if they were car parts, from painting radiators with pearlescent paint that changed colour in the sun to spraying ordinary white kitchen cupboard doors metallic black.
In 2006 the brothers saved up enough money to pay for three months’ rent on their first workshop. Their infectious charisma and work ethic meant that the business flourished quickly until they had enough car repair work lined up to solely focus on automobile repair.
"Take every opportunity that arises, give it a go and don’t worry if it goes wrong!”
- Mohammed Baig Mirza
Since then the pair’s belief in doing the best quality job and giving the best service possible has only increased, generating a growing customer base and a reputation for quality, consistency and innovation.
"The passion for cars is in our blood. Dad didn't have any official qualifications but the skills, knowledge and respect that we have today are from the lessons learnt and taught to us by our father, Mohammed Baig Mirza. He gave us the inspiration, guidance and mindset to never give up and continue to learn something new every day.”
Zee Mirza
Zee and Amer’s ambition to make ISC the best bodyshop in the country seems unquenchable. To them, one thing is clear: being the best at what you do needs the support of your customers and the team you have around you.
Zee and I would like to thank Team Individual for their continued support, commitment and hard work in our growing success and achievements to date."
Amer Mirza
“If you’re going to do something, do it right - perfection and attention to detail.”
- Mohammed Baig Mirza
