Classic legends reinvented

The most recent addition to the burgeoning ‘restomod’ market comes from Thornley Kelham (The specialist, October 2015). Having started in 2009 as a paintshop, the business quickly expanded into engineering projects including restoration and support for classic racing. From there, it has partnered with Race Techniques in nearby Cheltenham to go into the fastroad and race-preparation market.

The latest step is to provide many of its services combined into one product under the ‘European’ brand, taking the form of four models and starting with the car for which it has become known: the Lancia Aurelia B20GT. This will be followed by interpretations of the Jaguar XK120, Porsche 356 and Porsche 911 through 2022.

For now, we have details on just the Lancia, which is named the ‘Aurelia Outlaw’ and available in three versions. The base model uses a 2.5-litre Flaminia 3C engine, or you can upgrade to a 2.8-litre fuel-injected version of the same, or the range-topping Busso V6. This new flagship is badged the ‘European CSL’, and beneath the hand-crafted aluminium body is a full complement of modern suspension componentry pushing the all-in price to £600,000-plus. Lesser versions start from £250k, on top of the donor car.

Thornley Kelham stresses that the value comes from the skilled man-hours that go into the cars, claiming a total of 5000 hours for each, and that its previously awardwinning work will justify a place in the market. An impressive track record and established customer base should give it a head-start.