Practical Classics Restorer of the Year, with Lancaster Insurance

Over 12 months, from January 2019, Practical Classics magazine editor Danny Hopkins and his brilliant team have been reviewing readers' restorations with fine toothcombs to collate a lovely list of finished projects for the public to vote for their favourite. The competition is tough and all show great workmanship, but only one can come out on top.

Shortlist voting is open from 18 January - 19 February.

Voting for the winner will commence from 2 March right up until the night before the golden spanner is awarded to the deserving winner.

Stay tuned for more information over the coming weeks to see the competition narrow and join us at the show for the prize giving.

2019 winner Paul Henley, owner of the Datsun 240

Please cast your vote for your Restorer of the Year favourite at the bottom of the page.
NOTE: only one vote will be counted per entry.

APRIL 2019 - Scott Hilton - Jaguar XKE

It was Scott’s boyhood dream to own an XKE and he never thought he would, until he stumbled over a decent US import. With a host of updates from modern electric upgrades to better power steering, he created an E-type fit for daily use.

APRIL 2019 - Simon Hoar - Ford Cortina

Bought as a blast from the past bit of nostalgia for him and his dad, Simon’s rip-roarer of a Cortina was revived with graft and inspiration from fellow Ford enthusiasts. With its beautiful paintwork interior, he even found the first owner

Spring 2019 - Scott Chivers - Testarossa

Meet the ‘Ratarossa’ – the dream of this particular Ferrari enthusiast. What this car lacks in shiny paintwork is made up for in creativity! Scott can be sure that no one else in Britain has a functioning rat-look, drop-top Testarossa that cost £16,000

SPRING 2019 - Rhys Waters - XJ-S

If your mum’s favourite car is a XJ-S, what do you go and do? Restore one for her birthday, of course! First-time Jag restorer Rhys persevered and perfected the techniques needed for this stunner with tips gained by watching friends and expert restorers

May 2019 - John Jones - Rover SD1 Vitesse

Trial and tribulations of car restoration are represented with this cracking SD1. With a revived body, engine and years of careful fixing and tinkering, John threw himself into this iconic big Brit with gusto and ended with a slice of Solihull perfection

MAY 2019 - Robber Jan Veraa - Volvo 343 DL

Robbert’s 343 is a story of nostalgia, going all the way back to 1979 when he was sat in the back seat and his mum at the wheel. After a bare-metal restoration and mechanical renovation, this Swedish classic proves some cars are anything but just a car

JUNE 2019 - Thomas John Hill - Volvo 145 Express

This unique estate was in a dire state when Thomas John took in it, but with a particular passion for 140s, Thomas John got to work with his understanding of what makes a Volvo tick. What resulted was the restoration of a usable Volvo like few others

JUNE 2019 - Will Gower - MGB Roadster

Having taught his son everything he knows, Colin Gower sadly died before this MGB Roadster could be completed and so it fell to young Will to finish the job. The hard work was relentless and the end result, a masterpiece his father would be truly proud of

JUKY 2019 - Paul Ross Taylor - 1971 Triumph 2.5PI Saloon

The Taylor family’s addiction to Triumph’s spans back decades, and the restoration by the father-son team is an immaculate tribute to this tradition. The 2.5PI was once a wreck but now a celebration of exquisite bodywork and perfectly revived mechanics

JULY 2019 - Daniel Fahimi - 1990 Vauxhall Astra GTE

Daniel really knows his stuff when it comes to Astra GTEs. After years of learning the ins and outs of the model, he spent months stripping down the car and carefully rebuilding which resulted in one of the most perfect examples of this hot hatchback

August 2019 - Mike Edwards - 1976 Magnum Sportshatch

For Mike, a previous owner of this Sportshatch, its restoration was about making things right. After years laid up, the car ended up in Mike’s hands again and this time, it went from a rusty shell to one of the best Sportshatches in the UK

August 2019 - John Bellwood - Pnhard 17b

John owned this Panhard in the sixties and after searching for it on the net, he got lucky and found it again. After bringing it home, John sourced all the parts he’d need, rebuilt the engine and revived the body work to create Panhard perfection

SEPTEMBER 2019 - Phil Walker - 1994 Renault Clio Williams

A difficult challenge, this iconic hot hatch turned into a total strip-down job that took countless months to complete. However, Phil’s commitment and enthusiasm enabled him to get some astonishing results with skills he's learned for life

SEPTEMBER 2019 - Nigel Ford - Fiat 127 Sport

When Nigel bought his tired old Fiat, he began a long hard process involving a great deal of patience. With a ‘good but not too nice to use’ ethos, this build pushed the limits of restoration. Due to difficult-to-source parts, it took great ingenuity

OCTOBER 2019 - Richard Skinner - Chitty Tribute

Richard meant what he said: ‘Before I die, I really want to build my own’. After 50 years of dreaming and two years of research, the end result was truly extraordinary and something of a crowd-pleaser. Gladly, Richard is still alive and enjoy the results

OCTOBER 2019 - Graham Welch - Golf GTI

This early example of the GTi turned out to be a former press car so it had to be saved. VW fan Graham was quick to take the Golf to pieces and take it back to standard spec. With his mastery of self-taught VW restoration, Graham has a car of his dreams

NOVEMBER 2019 - Rob Hall - Astra GTE

This GTE has gone back to being factory fresh. With a baby on the way, the stakes were high for the Hall family so Rob’s work is nothing short of a miracle. It was finished with just a week to spare and ended up bringing the new addition home

NOVEMBER 2019 - Mark Fishpool - 1973 Triumph TR6

This classic Brit saloon was given the restoration of all restorations after years of inactivity. Mark’s big rebuild – which involved a bare metal stripdown - easily equates to one of the most visually and aesthetically stunning restorations imaginable

DECMBER 2019 - Ian Boyd - 1965 Jaguar S-type

After being dormant for years, Ian’s S-type was never forgotten and with a scrupulous approach and an astonishingly detailed delivery, this jaw-dropping restoration returned to the road for the first time since the 1970s with a serious bang

DECEMBER 2019 - Will Steeples - 1962 Ford Consul Classic

Will had more than 100 of these Fords and so it’s very much in the blood! With a conversion from left-to-right-hand drive, some seriously flawless restoration work and a sublime paint job, Will’s nostalgic sixties revival hit the road and jaws dropped

JANUARY 2020 - Adrian Shimmans - Escort RS2000 MK1

A whole handful of setbacks didn’t stop Adrian’s 30-year devotion to creating the perfect Escort. After years of solving what felt like unfixable problems coupled with a full engine and body rebuild, we reckon it’s one of the best restorations ever seen

JANUARY 2020 - Stuart Farrimond - Peugeot 309 GTi Goodwood

Stuart’s make-or-break 309 is one of the last of its kind. This epic revival was the result of a truly stunning focus on perfection. An impressive attempt for a first-time restorer, this 309 is now the stuff of legend within the Peugeot community

February 2020 - Keith Warren - 1972 Triumph TR6

Keith’s obsession with quality and precision is indisputable judging by the huge list of improvements to his TR6. He wanted his Triumph to possess better efficiency and power which meant bringing it straight into the 21st Century with an EFI upgrade

February 2020 - Emily Cook - Wolseley 1100

From the film, The Lady in the Van, this Wolseley 1100 found its way into the hands of Emily. Enlisting the help of family and friends and with one heck of a bare-metal rebuild, new paint job and a parts-buying marathon, this classic is back to its glory

March 2020 - Gary Needs - Vauxhall Chevette HSR

This father-son team’s fanatical level of attention to detail comes to the forefront with this exquisite Chevette. From the sensational rebuild of the Vauxhall’s bodyshell to the impeccable quality of the respray, it underwent a dream restoration

MARCH 2020 - Ben Gillet - Triumph Vitesse

Restoring any car is a feat, but when you live on the remote Isles of Scilly it can be seriously hard, especially when there’s only one road to drive on. Ben’s life-long love affair with Triumphs and his remarkable self-taught resto skills saw him through

March 2020 – Shaun Henry – Renault 10

Shaun proved you don’t need to loads of money to restore a car when he finished his rare Renault just before last year’s show. His mission to complete the project at home by himself succeeded and so he made it to the NEC in a blaze of glory!

Andrew Evanson, Senior Operations Manager at Lancaster Insurance, comments: “All of the cars featured have a fantastic story and showcase what is so great about our industry; dedication, passion and enthusiasm. We can’t wait to see who makes it through to the NEC and ultimately who you all choose as your winner.”

Please cast your vote for your Restorer of the Year favourite below.
NOTE: only one vote will be counted per entry.

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