Rashford and Co turn to luxury car modifier Urban Automotive to turn their Range Rovers into one-off head-turners
Simon is the creative force and managing director of body kit and customs firm Urban Automotive.
We're in Milton Keynes to learn why the likes of Marcus Rashford, Ashley Young, Jermain Defoe and others have left their prize motors in his hands.
Clients may have already spent £150,000-plus on their cars when they come here, but they're willing to splash out another £50,000 to really turn heads.
Walking into his sparkling new showroom, it's hard to know where to look.
To the right is three rows of gleaming Range Rovers and Land Rovers with the signature Urban look and to the left there are six cars up on lifts, barely recognisable with their exteriors ripped off.
In the corner is an incredible, brand new, Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon with all the trimmings.
The owner of that car – a regular starter in the Premier League this season – will be collecting it the day after.
Just five years ago, Simon had been a weekend petrolhead working in the IT business.
He tells SunSport: "After 20 years of wearing a suit every day, I decided I wanted to do something different.
"Cars were the thing I was most passionate about.
"I started the business from home, just doing a few cars. But it was really difficult as people really didn't want to buy from someone's driveway!"
Eventually Simon got a small unit and "saw a small gap in the market" – Land Rover Defenders.
The iconic car was once solely spotted on farms and military bases but firms like Urban Automotive have helped turn it into one of the most desirable 4x4s on the road.
Doing Range Rovers and performance SUVs was the next logical step and word started to spread through the car-loving world.
Social media helped expand the business and the brand, as did frequent collaborations with car wrap king Yianni 'Yiannimize' Charalambous.
Footballers are now lining up to get their own Urban truck – but it wasn't always like that.
"People with celebrity or footballer status almost need acceptance of a brand before they will invest," adds Simon.
"It's the endorsement from other areas that gets the buy in from them.
"I'm sure if they'd not seen our cars anywhere, they wouldn't want to buy in.
"It was a slow process and then suddenly, one person sees it in the training ground and then that goes round."
But what are they actually getting with their £50,000?
The eye-catching part of the modifications is in the big changes – front and rear bumpers and side skirts change the look of the car – but the devil is in the detailing.
A big selling point for Urban, who have 50 employees across three sites, is how they fit the kit to the cars, moulding their pieces to existing fittings on the car, giving the car perfect lines.
This isn't a boy racer attaching an after-market spoiler to a Citroen Saxo after all.
It's a more expensive and time-consuming way of working but high end clients expect high end results.
Although you might think footballers go for the most in your face, aggressive look, the reality is quite different, says Simon.
Urban's look is a lot more subtle than some of the other companies – Onyx or Kahn, for example – offering similar high end customisation.
"You would think the stereotypical footballer is to go over the top with everything," he says.
"Some people want just a basic kit and wheels, some people want everything we do – interior, the best wheels, more exposed carbon fibre.
"But it's down to the individual, there's no particular set 'footballer spec'.
"It just depends on the individual.
"There's only been a couple of times where you might think 'that's going to look terrible!'
"But that's why we do what we do, we're a bespoke vehicle manufacturer – they get the choice.
"It's their car, I didn't want to [tell them no] because that's what was happening in dealerships years ago when I was asking for something unique."
Simon's design process begins when he might catch a particular shape or line while he is out and about.
The look of his newest set of alloy wheels, which start at £6,000, came when he was walking up stairs for a flight and saw the inside of an engine turbine.
After getting an idea, he sketches it then graphic designers perfect before it's 3D scanned.
A pattern is cut out of a huge block and moulds are then made before full production starts – the full process takes around six months.
Quicker if the team works around the clock.
What does Simon see in the future of customisation?
"It really depends on the car," he says, "we try and move with the times.
"We're going through a period of smooth lines but that might change.
"People will always want individual kits, some people don't want off the shelf.
"People just like to be seen. They want a loud exhaust so people know that they're coming and the look to back up the sound that's coming.
"People want to be seen in what they're buying and quite rightly so. If they've done well they want to be able to talk about it."
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