There are many ways to work on an old car to make it exactly to its owners' tastes. Some opt for the rusty chic of a rat rod, while others go crazy and add huge engines with insane horsepower numbers. Those cars are all great, but there's something uniquely special about meticulously restoring a car so that it's as it was when it rolled out the showroom decades ago.
The United Kingdom has been manufacturing automobiles pretty much since they were invented. In that time, they've made some of the world's most iconic and well-loved models. Restoring these automotive icons is an essential way to keep the legacy of these cars going for generations. As well as the most well-known models, there's plenty of lesser-known gems from British manufacturers too, so it's great to see they're getting the same amount of love in the restoration community.
8 Land Rover Series III
It's one of Britain's most well-known exports and one of the best off-roaders outright. The Land Rover was first introduced in 1948, but the Series III was launched in 1971. This example is from 1973 and has only covered 88,000 miles since it left the showroom.
It's been subject to a multi-year restoration that its owner claims makes it "better than new". Some of the items in this Landy's extensive bills list include a new galvanized chassis, performance headers, and Hella lighting. It's had no expense spared, and it looks incredible.
7 Austin Mini
The Mini is a humble people's car but was a serious feat of engineering when it was launched. Its genius was in its compact packaging, with the whole car engineered to provide the maximum amount of usable space possible.
This yellow Mini has a particularly sweet back story: it was originally a marriage proposal gift but the owner never finished restoring it to the way he wanted it. He then took it to a friend's garage to patch up the floor and left it with them. When he came back, his friends had completely restored the car as a surprise. That's some top-tier friends right there.
6 Bentley S1 Fastback
The Bentley S1 Fastback was always a very imposing car, and with its complete restoration, this example is just as head-turning as it was new. Only 151 examples of this car were ever produced, and this is one of the best-condition remaining examples.
It was treated to a full body-off restoration from classic specialists Richards Of England, and had the engine rebuilt by a different specialist at the same time. The car was originally owned by Peter Cadbury, owner of the world-renowned Cadburys Chocolate. That famous ownership, plus the perfect condition of the car, means it's currently for sale for an eye-watering £585,000 ($817,420).
5 Morgan Plus 4
Morgan Motor Co has been making cars that look the same for so long that it's possible to buy a car that looks just like this new from them today. This model is actually from 1961 and is already Stateside.
The car has been carefully maintained and restored so that its 100hp Triumph engine still feels as sprightly as it did back when JFK was president. It's a truly unique piece of engineering, even down to its wooden frame and wire-spoke wheels.
4 Aston Martin DB5
The DB5 is probably the most famous Bond car ever, which has meant demand for examples like this are sky-high. This perfectly built restoration has been maintained by Aston Martin's own classic specialist, Aston Martin Works Services. That's surely a gold standard if there ever was one.
The 4L engine will glide along for as many miles as its owner wants it to, but apparently, the car has covered just 1,700 miles since its full restoration. It's no surprise: as DB5s are so valuable, even one small paint chip will dent this car's value by thousands.
3 Rover SD1
It's a lesser-known British classic, but definitely an underappreciated one. Sporting a big V8, the SD1 was Rover's take on a luxury car, and it delivered all round even if it wasn't a great seller.
The SD1 pictured above is a family heirloom that sat in storage for many years until its current owner decided to restore it. Just disassembling the car took over 100 hours and restoring it took hundreds more but the result is well worth it. An as-new piece of '80s British luxury, there's not much else like it anywhere.
2 Jaguar XJ6
Iron Maiden's Nicko McBrain is a huge Jaguar fan, and this is his personal XJ6. He commissioned a full restoration of the car from Jaguar's Classics division, and the results are nothing short of spectacular.
It's not completely as-new though: the car underwent several modifications while it was with the Jaguar team. It now sports modern LED headlights and custom-built wheels, among many other small changes. As far as restomods go, this one is definitely up there with the best.
1 Aston Martin DB2
First delivered in 1958, this Aston Martin DB2 was restored by marque specialists Trinity Engineering in 2008. It's about as complete a restoration as it's possible to get, with every tiny detail of the car rebuilt and reworked.
The engine was gently upgraded with parts from a DB3S, and additional features like Weber performance carburetors and Tremec transmission. It's a concours-level car, although with all that performance upgrading let's hope it gets driven often too. After all, no matter how meticulously they've been restored, cars are built to be driven.