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On the pages of the magazine “Practical Classics” we get acquainted with the five finalists who were selected for the contest “Restorer of the Year” in partnership with Adrian Flaks.
The winner will meet the public at the Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show at the National Exhibition Center in Birmingham March 24-26, where he will be awarded the Golden Key. The selection method was strict.
First, the top ten was determined by the readers of the magazine “Practical Classics” and clients of insurance companies Adrian Flux. The panel of experts, which included PC editor Danny Hopkins and Adrian Flax, had the unenviable task of choosing the final five.
The top five, in no particular order, are:
Below are the top five.
Look and cast your final vote; you choose the winner. Remember: Practical Classics is always on the lookout for the best restorations for the home. If you yourself restored the car or resto-modified it, then Contact “Practical Classics”. Who knows, next year it could be you!
One of the best Land Rover restorations you’ve ever seen
In March 2014, while looking for an old British motorcycle to restore, Steve Brown stumbled upon a badly abandoned Land Rover Series 3 and, after looking at his wife, received a firm instruction: “Don’t you dare!” But eight years later, that same pile of scrap metal becomes a true work of art when Steve opens his garage door and rolls it out into the sunlight. It looks great in stunning bronze green, the underside is just as perfect as the top.
Maybe it’s better than the day he left the factory. If you’ve been following Practical Classics’ “Rebel with a Cause” project, Steve’s name is probably familiar to you. Steve is a perfectionist genius who in just a few days prepped and painted this fiberglass body to amazing standards to be unveiled and assembled live at the Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show at the National Exhibition Center in March. .
The Rebel package is great, but this Land Rover, built to Steve’s own exacting, tension-free standards just a few weeks after he took on the project, is an example of what he’s truly capable of if given the chance.
Steve works for HB Body, which manufactures and sells a wide range of automotive refinish products, as a technical manager, answering questions from paint shops and individuals on how to get the most out of his company’s products. So he can talk, but this Land Rover proves he can walk too.
Read the full story on how Steve got his Land Rover back.
Ford Capri MkIII that came home
This feeling is familiar to many. One day we are young, free and alone; Then we are burdened with diapers and wet wipes, car seats and the inability to leave the house without an hour of preparation time. Welcome to the world of very young children. A world where Steve Brandreth parted ways with his cherished Ford Capri MkIII in 1990 and replaced it with the more sensible and economical Escort Estate.
Steve would not have been the only person to buy a Ford Capri 28 years after selling his last car, to relive the pleasure and enjoyment that the car gave him as a young man. However, there aren’t many people who still have the same car they parted ways with almost three decades ago.
Having sold his Capri after the birth of his first son, Steve finally decided it was time to look for a replacement. One evening in 2018, while browsing small ads, Steve came across a gold Capri 3.0 Ghia for sale in Northern Ireland.
It wasn’t until Steve looked into it in more detail that he discovered that the car for sale right across the Irish Sea from his home in Cheshire was a DLG 444S, the same Capri 3.0 Ghia with automatic transmission that he had given up due to its incredible thirst and general impracticality did not help. copes very well with the pressure of having a new baby in 1990.
Just a week later, Steve found himself on a flight to Belfast, ostensibly to “go and see” a car he hadn’t seen in 28 years. In fact, he knew exactly what was going to happen. “As soon as I bought the plane ticket, I knew I would buy it,” he said.
Read the full story on how Steve was able to restore his Capri, getting rid of those original dents he made 30 years ago.
Me and my Porsche 914 restoration
Jonathan Moss used to have a pair of four-cylinder Porsches, a 944 and another 914, but he wanted a six-cylinder. However, he felt that they lacked the character he was used to when he owned the Beetle. He didn’t want 911s as they were considered difficult, so he spent four years upgrading the 914, but his wife never liked the car because it was too harsh and too loud.
Then, in 2014, his car was at a classic car picnic at the Amberley Museum and a guy approached him as he had a project 914 for sale that he bought, but it certainly was a project! The rotten metal of the body was replaced, but then stood on its side, acting as the sidewall of the autoport, hood, trunk and doors to the garden, the cabin to the attic. It took all day to find everything.
Things did not go well for five years until Moss retired. In the meantime, he found a 1971 911 2.4T engine and it took ten years before he finally built it. Having disassembled it, I sharpened the crank and made a modification of the oil bypass. The pistons needed only new rings, but the cylinders were not in the best condition, so I had to buy new ones, as well as an upgraded oil pump.
Read the full story on how this Porsche 914 was retuned.
The transformation of the Triumph Herald from a “rusty bucket” into a masterpiece
Mick Clark may be a Ford man through and through – he’s had countless blue oval engines and worked for the world giant – but a few years ago he decided to rebuild the Triumph. In his words: “I was looking for cheap classics that my student son could enjoy on vacation and that I could improve on while he was away at university.”
He found the car on the Isle of Sheppey ten years ago; the fact that it was a convertible was just a bonus. He thought it wasn’t too bad and would last until the summer before he needed a job. In a moment of revelation familiar to many restorers, Mick found himself “much more rotten than I had hoped.” Never before had anyone done half the job, so it was quickly decided that the body had to be removed from the chassis in order to do the “proper job”.
It took Mick another five years to gradually start rebuilding in 2017, repairing the chassis after taking the car apart. The front outriggers have been replaced along with a few welding jobs on other areas of the chassis, especially around the differential mounting points. We tried to never cut too much metal at once, hoping that the chassis would retain its original shape and allow the body to return just as accurately as before.
Now the car is finished, Mick and his wife often ride it, or play cricket, or have picnics on the grounds of the National Trust, where the small Triumph fits well into the majestic backdrop.
Read the full story on how Mick managed to get his Triumph Herald back.
Ford Escort MkI RS2000 restored by grandfather and grandson
“Grandpa’s car” usually resembles a dusty Austin A30 or a solid Rover, but when Grandpa worked for Colin Chapman, you can bet there was something more interesting tucked away in his garage. Thus, Morgan Langdon is a very lucky grandson who regularly drives an impeccably restored 1974 Ford Escort MkI RS2000.
But while Morgan helped with the project along the way, the car’s journey from crash to restoration began before it was even born, and involved Grandpa Andrew Morgan in more drama than a typical restoration. Along the way, it cemented a strong relationship between the two.
It was a good time to buy an RS2000 as the industry of fast Ford replicas (and dodgy replicas) hadn’t skyrocketed yet, and neither had prices. The car has all the necessary body parts, chassis plates and stampings and is authentic in every way. Surprisingly, the original owner spotted him, freshly restored, coming back from a traffic jam in the back of a trailer, and followed him to Andrew’s house to chat!
Read the full story of how Morgan and his grandson managed to rebuild their Escort.
Get classic car insurance for your restoration project
Whether your car is laid up or in service, we can help you find a custom classic car insurance deal that fits your needs and budget. Call us on 0800 369 8590 or request a call back for a quick and affordable quote.
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