Andrew McGrath (OW 1971)

(9 January 1954 – 26 March 2023)

The Waynflete Office has been informed of the death of Andy McGrath by his friend and fellow OW Peter Stiff.

We are grateful to another of Andy’s classmates OW Nick Jones (1971) for this tribute:

On the 26th of March 2023 we lost our dear friend Andy McGrath.

Andy always had a keen sense of mischief, and this did not diminish after MCS , in fact his extrovert nature made being in his company a sought-after privilege. His many friends have countless stories of outrageous behavior that still bring us smiles and laughter.

When Andy left MCS he soon chose the auto business , he knew the industry he wanted to be part of. Within a couple of years, he had moved to London to work for a dealer in Hampstead.

Later he drew attention to himself importing new German cars into the UK. Based on the right of serving the British military in Germany to buy right-hand drive cars at local pricing, Andy built a wide network of contacts arranging high numbers of new purchases – to such an extent this grey market had an impact on the UK official dealers, and he made the TV BBC news. The importing gave him the foundation capital to open his own showroom in Brooklands specialising in classic cars, both dealing and restoring. Andy would travel the world buying collector’s cars . We heard of him from as far afield as Australia and New Zealand – and occasionally America sourcing GT40s. His specialty was Ferrari. UK clients included many top pop music heroes of our youth. His sense of fun disguised his sharp mind and perfectionist nature.

He had a serious appetite for pleasure. The lifestyle included fine dining, fine wines and fine cars and being a season ticket holder at Manchester United FC. Andy was a passionate supporter travelling from Surrey with a small group of friends. He especially loved Sardinia and would go there as often as he could.

Andy was hit with Guillain-Barré syndrome six years ago , paralyzing him and leaving him bedridden. Despite this he maintained his determined positive attitude, it was still difficult to get a word into a conversation. When pressed on how he stayed so positive Andy would say “Life deals us a hand of cards and we play it the best way we can.”
Andy is survived by his daughter Poppy , his second wife Tracy, and his partner of the last 18 years,Genevieve.