FRIENDS and colleagues of Leyton Cooper, a well-known figure in the motor trade and motor finance industry, have been shocked and saddened by news of his premature death.
Cooper, who was just 35 years old and participated in Car Dealer Magazine’s Bangers4BEN event last year, died suddenly and unexpectedly on September 30, 2012.
Cooper was a familiar and highly-regarded buyer in the used vehicle retail sector, and held the position of divisional group buying manager at Chester-based ACF Car Finance.
He first joined the company eleven years ago as a trainee in its vehicle procurement department having previously worked for seven years as a qualified motor technician.
Coopers’s hands-on mechanical knowledge and ability to pinpoint the best and most merchantable used cars for re-sale saw him rise within the company to become its most senior buyer.
He possessed great energy, not just as a manager but also as an enthusiastic participant in fundraising events organised to support the automotive industry’s charity BEN.
Last November, Cooper helped raise more than £3000 for the cause by taking part in Bangers4BEN in an old part-exchanged Volvo 850R donated by the company.
Managing director of The Funding Corporation, David Challinor, said that Cooper would be greatly missed by everyone as a warm and personable character who always lived life to the full.
Cooper had lived for many years in Manchester with his partner Michelle and her daughter. His funeral was held on October 4, in Derbyshire where he grew up.
Car Dealer Magazine would like to express its sympathy to Cooper’s family.
