Relative to the million plus new cars produced during the golden decades of the Fifties and Sixties, very few survived. After around a decade of being pushed to their limits under the testing UK and European winters, most of these cars were taken out of circulation.

Most were hauled off to the breakers yard with just a relative handful remaining stored in abandoned lock ups or under tarpaulins at the back of a field.  An absolute handful were  kept in a driveable condition- lovingly cared for by and gradually restored by devoted enthousiasts.

In the last twenty years or even more, an incredible surge in interest has grown up around classic cars and their restoration. While vehicles produced during the twentieth century have been improved dramtically, both in terms of appearance and technical capabilities, to many they lack the character of these vehicles, some of them produced more than seventy years ago.

To drive one of these cars means standing out from the crowd, through owning a vehicle that is truly unique, with the owner's personality stamped all over it

Pitfalls that, if not handled properly and quickly, could cause the restoration project to be held up, not stay within budget, and even end in disaster.