Epic Restoration of the Year in association with Machine Mart

by classic-cars |

Updated on14 10 2024

Vote for the greatest Epic Restoration of 2024/25 to be in with the chance of winning fabulous prizes of tools and workshop equipment from our partner Machine Mart.

Each month Classic Cars magazine brings you epic stories of neglected, bodged and abused classics transformed into visions of perfection by talented craftsmen. Starting with the June 2024 issue, we’ll feature highlights from each of the 12 Epic Restoration features here as they appear over the coming year, underlining the extraordinary challenges the specialists faced and the clever solutions they deployed to overcome them.

From the May 2025 issue you will be able to vote for the best story, and be in with a chance to win quality tools and equipment to make working on your classic easier and more pleasurable, because quality kit is a joy to use.

EPIC RESTORATION 1 - 1977 Alfa Romeo Alfasud Giardinetta.

Will this rare Alfa survivor get your Epic Restoration of the Year vote?

In the June 2024 issue, we revealed the extraordinary challenges the talented craftsmen at HC Classics faced and the great lengths they went to so the hidden horrors of this rare survivor could be overcome, returning it to stunning as-new condition.

Here’s what Richard Carp and the HC Classics team faced

• Horrific rust that only became obvious as the car was stripped

• Irreplaceable interior parts destroyed by decades of South African sunlight

• Damaged or missing components that defied rescuing by conventional techniques

• No infrastructure of classic parts remanufacture or stock

• A restoration team split between the UK and Poland

‘It was a dingy car in appalling condition. It was just about drivable, but everything had suffered corrosion’ – Richard Carp, HC Classics

The June issue Epic Restoration feature reveals how Richard and his team turned up the resourcefulness dial, blending traditional skills like metal fabrication with modern technology such as CAD software and laser printing. Their determined approach ranged from parts sourcing as far afield as Japan and Argentina to hand-shaping new seat foam to recreate the original profiles.

NEXT MONTH: 1962 Maserati 3500GTi

WIN PREMIUM TOOLS AND WORKSHOP EQUIPMENT

Each month we feature a new Epic Restoration story in association with Machine Mart. Vote for the best in our end-of-year competition for a chance to win our First place prize bundle or our 2nd or 3rd place prize of premium workshop tools and equipment from specialist supplier Machine Mart, like this slick Clarke CTJ1800AB 1.8 tonne aluminium racing jack. *T&C's will Apply*

Its versatile design combines a shallow saddle – designed to slip beneath low sporting cars – with high lift to give a comfortable working height once secured on axle stands. A wide rubber contact pad makes lifting safer and avoids damage to the car underside, and its smooth, progressive twist handle allows precise control of locking and releasing the hydraulic piston. Aluminium construction keeps weight down, despite a large 640mm x 300mm footprint for stability.

For more details and a video, visit https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-ctj1800ab-18-tonne-aluminium-racing-tro/

EPIC RESTORATION 2 - 1962 Maserati 3500GTI

Will this precious Maserati get your Epic Restoration of the Year vote?

In the July 2024 issue, we let the talented craftspeople at Project Heaven explain the horrific bodgery they discovered in this previous Maserati 3500GTI and how it tested both their skills and patience as they battled to right all the wrongs. While overcoming decades of wear, degradation, damage , neglect and what you'd politely call inexpert workmanship are part of most restorations; this one took that challenge to the extreme, then cranked it up a level with incorrect major parts and the complexities of making the sixties fuel injection system work properly -they barely did when new.

Here's what Peter Bulbick and the Project Heaven team faced

Horrific rust that only became obvious as the car was stripped
Irreplaceable interior parts destroyed by decades of South African Sunlight
Damaged or Missing components that defied rescuing by conventional techniques
No infrastructure of classic parts remanufacture or stock
A restoration team split between the UK and Poland

'We had to paint the car twice. There was a problem with chemical reaction which meant we had to strip it back to bare metal and star all over again' - Will Tomkins, Project Heaven

The July issue Epic Restoration feature reveals how Peter and his team balanced a desire to reinstate so much originality lost through previous crude repairs and restoration work with an ingenious approach to hiding modern innovation to ensure the 3500GTI would be easier to run and better to drive than it was back in the Sixties.

NEXT MONTH: 1962 Maserati 3500GTi

WIN PREMIUM TOOLS AND WORKSHOP EQUIPMENT

Each month we feature a new Epic Restoration story in association with Machine Mart. Vote for the best in our end-of-year competition for a chance to win a fabulous prize bundle of premium workshop tools and equipment from specialist supplier Machine Mart, like this slick Clarke CP185 Sander Polisher.

Thanks to its six-stage adjustable speed and comfortable D-handle, it can be used with the 180mm synthetic lambswool bonnet and backing pad supplied for polishing and compounding tired paintwork like professional. For more serious bodywork jobs, backing pad’s loop and Velcro mounting allows the polishing bonnet to be easily changed for a range of abrasive pads also available from Machine Mart. This well-thought-out tool includes a spindle locking button to make pad changes easier, and a power lock-on feature to spare you from finger fatigue.

For more details and a video, visit https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-cp185-sander-polisher/

Epic Restoration 3 - 1968 Alfa Romeo GTA 1300 Junior Corsa

Will this rare Alfa race car get your Epic Restoration of the Year vote?

In the August 2024 issue, experts across several different specialist restoration companies in Australia reveal how they took on a hard-driven and properly crashed former race car bought sight-unseen and in bits, 9000 miles away in America.

Here’s what they faced:

• Parts of the car damaged by saltwater corrosion during shipping

• Rare parts unique to the valuable GTA models missing

• Tracking down the car’s long-lost original engine

• Crash-bent front structure with out-of-alignment repairs

• Delicate aluminium body panels demanding hand-made replacements

‘I was going to have to unpick the entire front end and split the car in two to re-set the alignment’ – Tim Doyle

The August issue Epic Restoration feature presented some tough choices for owner Colin Wilson-Brown and the specialist teams he chose for the mission. Build in a host of developments to make it competitive in modern historic racing or take it back to exactly how it competed in 1968? Persevere in sourcing rare and precious genuine GTA Corsa parts or make do with substitutes? Enjoy racing the car again and risk wrecking it, or succumb to gentler use to preserve its history? As if the challenges of restoring any five-decades-old classic wasn’t enough.

NEXT MONTH: 1968 Alfa 1300 GTA

WIN PREMIUM TOOLS AND WORKSHOP EQUIPMENT

With a useful working space of 1.2m x 0.6m and a 38mm-thick composite worktop, this steel-structure bench is ideal for tackling everything from delicate carburettor rebuilds to hefty cylinder head work. Underneath, there’s a lockable cupboard to stop the family walking off with your favourite tools and five storage drawers on roller-bearing runners to supplement the storage shelf.

For more details visit https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/cwb1205p-5-drawer-workbench/

Epic Restoration 4 — 1936 Fiat Balilla 508S

Will this rare Fiat get your Epic Restoration of the Year vote?

In the September 2024 issue, we hear from Paul de Turris how he and his team of craftsmen at Italian car specialist DTR took on the resurrection of this heavily crashed old competition warhorse. Their two-year quest would call on all their skills and experience as they began painstakingly unpicking decades of accident and mechanical damage along with a collection of variously skilled repairs and modifications to make the car right again.

The rarity of the 508S and the fact that it had managed to retain its original 108CS engine made the project both more interesting and challenging. With spare parts being almost non-existent, almost everything needed hand to be handmade, from chassis and body sections to the steering wheel.

Here’s what they faced:

• Heavy impact damage from a hillclimbing crash

• Rarity of the 508S model making everything more difficult

• A lifetime of modifications made it harder to decide what was original

• Yet more historic damage uncovered during the rebuild

• Incorrect carburettor and other key parts

‘My son ran off the track and hit the tyre wall almost front on’ – Craig Jones, car owner and co-racer

The July issue Epic Restoration feature reveals how specialist Paul de Turris and his team sought a delicate balance between restoring the Fiat’s original features while maintaining motor sport-led changes to keep it competitive.

NEXT MONTH 1987 Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500

WIN PREMIUM TOOLS AND WORKSHOP EQUIPMENT

With a pull handle and swivelling castor wheels it’s easy to move around your garage or workshop and its seven drawers keep more than 200 tools neatly laid out in moulded inserts so you can easily find that spanner, hammer or pair of pliers when you need it.

It comes equipped with:

• 68-piece 1/4in-drive chrome-vanadium socket set with ratchet handle

• 31-piece 3/8in-in drive chrome-vanadium socket set with ratchet handle

• 24-piece 1/2in-in drive chrome-vanadium metric socket set with ratchet handle

• 14-piece metric wrench set in 6-19mm sizes

• 4-piece metric wrench set in 21, 22, 24, 27mm sizes

• 7-piece double offset ring spanners

• 4-piece Phillips and 4-piece flat screwdriver set

• 4-piece 7in circlip plier set

• 3-piece hammer/plier set

• 4-piece plier/cutter set

• 3 hex key sets

• 6-piece ball head hex key set

• 7-piece Torx wrench set

• 3-piece cutter, tin snip and pincer set

• 12-piece punch set

For more details, visit www.machinemart.co.uk.

Epic Restoration 5 — 1967 Ford Mustang 390GT

Will this Mustang brought back from the dead get your Epic Restoration of the Year vote?

In the October 2024 issue, we hear from Gavin King and his team at Concours Sportscar Restoration about the challenges of returning the remnants of a hard-driven, heavily crashed Mustang 390GT to the condition it raced at the peak of its career. It was so bad it was once sent for scrap before being rescued by a sharp-eyed enthusiast.

It had been raced with great success in Australia by legendary driver Bob Jane, so it would garner a lot of enthusiast attention when finished – it had to be right. Researching the correct details and sourcing correct parts would be as big a challenge as the physical restoration work, which threw up enough problems of its own.

Here’s what they faced:

• A huge list of missing parts

• A catastrophically crashed bodyshell

• The conflicting needs to recreating its period look and specification while incorporating the required modern safety features

• It last ran in 1970

‘Trevor Pollock started repairing it, but found it too hard and took it to the tip’

NEXT MONTH 1987 Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500

WIN PREMIUM TOOLS AND WORKSHOP EQUIPMENT

This 90 amp metal inert gas (MIG) welder has four power settings, making it easy to weld thin steel outer bodywork or thicker structural areas on your classic, while an adjustable welding wire speed and gas regulator allows you to fine tune its performance for high-quality welds. You can use it to weld stainless steel and aluminium with appropriate wire reels and gases bought separately.

It comes equipped with:

• CO2 gas (390g)

• Gas regulator

• Mild steel welding wire

• Professional type non-live torch

• Earth clamp

• Face shield

• Helpful user guide/instructions

For more details and a video, visit www.machinemart.co.uk.

EPIC RESTORATION 6-1987 Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500.

Will this Cosworth RS500 delicate preservation mission get your Epic Restoration of the Year vote?

In the November 2024 issue, we hear from Cosworth guru Paul Linfoot about the conflicting brief of returning this long-dormant car to the fitness enjoyed by its one owner from new, while preserving as much originality as possible. With time-served skill, knowledge and ingenuity, he and his team managed to save almost everything, right down to the 36-year-old paint and interior fabrics.

It was an emotionally-charged quest, driven by the desire of its first owner to see it finished before he succumbed to ill health.

Here’s what they faced:

• Laid up in a workshop since 1997

• Untouched originality

• Inevitable evidence of 50,000 enthusiastic miles

• A brief to preserve precious originality while making it fit for action

• An emotional race against time

‘The biggest issue has been working out where to stop’ Paul Linfoot

NEXT MONTH 1980 Ford Granada rally service barge

WIN PREMIUM TOOLS AND WORKSHOP EQUIPMENT

This compact Clarke CEOBDPRO EOBD/OBD II is an essential weapon in your armoury when solving modern classic problems. Its connector allows you to interrogate the engine’s Electronic Control Unit, retrieving fault codes to help understand and diagnose problems. You can also use it to clear the codes after repairs are complete, or to check whether the code is a genuine recurring one, or an erroneous one-off.

Key features:

• Compatible with all 1996 and later EODB/ODBII-compliant cars including CAN protocol

• Identifies and clears fault codes

• Data stream function to view live data

• Stores, records and plays back over 29 data files

• Freeze frame facility records data snapshot when emissions fault occurs

• Retrieves VIN

For more details and a video, visit https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-ceobdpro-engine-diagnostic-and-eobdobd/

EPIC RESTORATION 7-1978 Ford Granada estate works rally service barge

Will this restoration of a special piece of Ford Motorsport history get your Epic Restoration of the Year vote?

In the December 2024 issue, we hear from Julian Peapell and his team at AKR MkI & MkII Granada Restorations about how they took on a piece of Ford Motorsport history with a difference, once of three Granada estates used as support vehicles for the works rally cars. On top of its hardworking life in rough, wintry forest locations, the car was laid up for 16 years before Julian’s team started exploring how to return its rusty bodywork and a host of unique features to 1978-fresh condition.

Here’s what they faced:

• Hard 24-year working life followed by 16-year layup

• Host of features specific to its rally support duties

• So difficult, other restorers wouldn’t touch it!

• Parts so scarce a donor car was needed

• Recreating the special Ford Motorsport livery

‘Once we’d stripped it and all the bad areas were visible, I wondered if we would be able to complete it’

NEXT MONTH Jaguar E-type 3.8 FHC

WIN PREMIUM TOOLS AND WORKSHOP EQUIPMENT

The powerful JET 7500 includes a lance with adjustable nozzle, allowing you to reach over or under the car, and to tailor the water jet for everything from cleaning off heavy dirt to gentle rinsing of more sensitive areas of the car. It’s ideal for shifting winter’s salt and mud or keeping your classic looking its best in between light use. With a large detergent tank, auto-stop and large wheels, it’s packed with thoughtful features that take the pain out cleaning tasks.

Key features:

• 2030psi maximum pump pressure

• 6.67 litres/minute maximum flow rate

• High pressure lance

• Adjustable spray nozzle

• Auto-stop feature save electricity and extends pump life

• 1.4-litre detergent tank

• 5m hose

• Easy-rolling 160mm wheels

For more details and a video, visit https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-jet-7500-1600w-pressure-washer/

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