Automotive Website Design & E‑commerce Development – HPE Motorsport
Automotive Website Design & E‑commerce Development – HPE Motorsport
HPE Motorsport are one of the most recognised names in the Classic Ford performance engine industry, specialising in modified engines including the Pinto, Kent X‑Flow and Cosworth. With a heritage dating back to the 1930s, Harris Performance has built a reputation for engineering high performance engines used by enthusiasts and motorsport competitors across the UK and internationally.
When James Harris approached us, the company needed a modern website redesign that would better represent the brand, improve the customer experience and allow them to sell performance parts online.
The result was a custom WordPress website with e‑commerce functionality, designed to support both engine builds and online parts sales.
About Harris Performance / HPE Motorsport
Harris Performance was founded in the 1930s by Ron Harris, often referred to as “The Conrod Father”. The business originally began by modifying motorcycles before moving into the development of high‑performance Ford engines.
The company has since passed through generations of the Harris family:
- Ron Harris – founder
- Jeff Harris – expanded the company and built its reputation
- James Harris – continuing the legacy with HPE Motorsport
Today HPE Motorsport is widely known among enthusiasts for building some of the best modified Classic Ford engines available.
The Challenge – An Outdated Website
When we first visited the existing website it was clear that the site no longer reflected the quality of the engineering work produced by HPE Motorsport.
The main issues included:
- An outdated website design
- Difficult navigation
- No way to easily sell parts online
- Too many enquiries for engine builds that were outside customers’ budgets
The goal of the project was to create a modern motorsport website that solved these problems while supporting the next stage of the business as James Harris continued the company legacy.
Custom Engine Builder Tool
One of the biggest challenges James faced was the amount of time spent creating quotes for potential engine builds.
Many enquiries came from customers who did not fully understand the cost of building a high‑performance engine, which meant a lot of time was spent preparing quotes that did not convert into work.
To solve this we created a simple online engine builder tool.
The tool allows visitors to:
- Choose the engine platform
- Select performance upgrades
- Receive an estimated budget for their engine build
This gives customers a realistic idea of pricing while allowing them to begin the process of commissioning an engine build.
Automotive E‑commerce Website
Another key goal of the project was to allow HPE Motorsport to sell performance parts online.
James had been developing several unique products for Harris Performance which until that point had primarily been sold through a Facebook group.
The new online shop allowed the company to:
- Sell parts and accessories online
- Reach customers outside the UK
- Showcase unique Harris Performance components
- Manage orders and inventory more efficiently
This also created a new opportunity for Jeff Harris to remain involved in the business as he moved toward retirement, focusing on parts and product development rather than full engine builds.
High Quality Automotive Photography
Because HPE Motorsport produces premium performance components, the website required professional product photography to match the quality of the engineering.
Commercial photographer Darren Woolway produced a series of bespoke images specifically for the website.
One of the standout images was a race clutch photographed in an exploded configuration, where each plate was captured separately to show the individual components.
The final image was so precise that many viewers initially assumed it was computer‑generated (CGI).
Product Photography for Performance Parts
Additional photography was created for a wide range of components including:
- Pinto engine components
- Kent X‑Flow parts
- Exhaust systems
- Carburettors
- Differential components
- Pulley kits
The goal was to create clean, high‑contrast product photography that clearly showed the engineering quality of each part.
Suggested screenshots:
- Engine components photography
- Pulley kit product images
- Performance parts catalogue
Website Launch Strategy
Launching a website at the right moment can make a big difference to its success.
To create a clear deadline we suggested launching the website on New Year’s Day, complete with a countdown timer on the homepage.
This gave the client a fixed timeframe to complete the written content and helped build anticipation for the launch.
A signup form was also added to the homepage so fans of the brand could register for launch updates
Launch Results
The website launch was an immediate success.
The first order was placed just 20 minutes after the website went live, demonstrating the demand for Harris Performance products online.
Soon after launch the website began receiving interest from customers as far as:
- Germany
- Australia
Future development plans included international shipping with weight‑based delivery calculations to support this growing global demand.
Before and After Website Redesign
The new website represented a major improvement over the previous site, bringing the brand into line with the quality of its engineering work.
The redesign included:
- Modern responsive website design
- E‑commerce functionality for parts sales
- Custom engine build estimator tool
- High quality product photography
- Improved navigation and user experience
Suggested screenshot:
Before and after website comparison
Technologies Used
- WordPress CMS
- E‑commerce functionality
- Custom engine builder tool
- Responsive website design
- Custom styling and layout
- Professional product photography