From rust-bucket to dream machine
Sedgefield magicians build on worldwide reputation
ARARE Aston Martin, restored to its former glory by a team of Sedgefield-based craftsmen, has been shipped to England, where it is expected to fetch between R10-million and R12.5-million. Tino Laranjeira, of Classic Car Restorations, is known worldwide for his skill in restoring bodywork.
Down the road, Nito Valentim is the mechanical magician behind the equally famous Sedgefield Classic Cars, which he owns with Sheridan Renfield.
The most recent project is the 1957 Mark 1 Aston Martin DB4.
“Only about 250 of the Mark 1 were built and they are very difficult to find,” Laranjeira said.
“It stands to reason that the car’s Canadian owner – who also owns property in Wilderness and England – would not have it restored by just anyone.” And Laranjeira is not just anyone. Before his move to the Garden Route in 2006, the bodyshop he co-owned with his brother, Fernando, Major 2 Auto Body Repairs, handled top-class vehicles, including Ferraris.
The waiting list of cars to be restored is more than two years.
Nonetheless, it was not until he had restored one of heart surgeon Dr Alan Wolfson’s other cars that he landed the Aston Martin job. He had previously restored three others, of which two were his own.
Equally passionate and skilled is Valentim, who started fixing cars for his teachers when he was still in school.
Wolfson saw a story in a newspaper about another Aston Martin, a DB6, which the team had restored and sent them his Alfa Spider as a test.
More than happy with the result, Wolfson shipped the Aston Martin from Canada to Sedgefield in a container.
The car was more rust-bucket than dream car, requiring a bumper-to-bumper rebuild and engine overhaul.
It also had to be done in only six months, instead of the year it would usually take for such an extensive rebuild, to meet a shipping deadline.
Replacement galvanised steel panels were hand-shaped into the exact original shape in the workshop.
Mechanical parts were checked individually and then refurbished.
Any part damaged beyond repair was replaced with an original part, or machine-made out of the same material.
Even the paint used was specialised with a lifetime guarantee. The handstitched leather upholstery was outsourced to a specialist in George.
“While we have restored some extraordinary and rare cars here, this Aston Martin was one of the most special,” Laranjeira said.