By Classic Yorkshire correspondent Tony Lofthouse
A Leeds-based car company is celebrating 10 years in business with a healthy order book of restorations and a portfolio of successful finished projects.
Classic and Iconic Cars Ltd is run by Trevor Hill, who has built a career working on prestige restorations and repair work.
From starting out as a young apprentice technician with Appleyard Jaguar, Trevor went on to work for JCT 600’s specialist repair business in Bradford working on marquees such as Porsche, Ferrari, Lotus and Maserati. He further developed his skills working on Aston Martins.
A move followed to the Aston Martin Works in Newport Pagnell before Trevor decided to return to his Yorkshire roots to set up his own restoration business.
Trevor is joined by Steve at Classic and Iconic, who is also vastly experienced in the motor trade.
Last week, I had the pleasure of looking around the business with Trevor and seeing some of the current projects.
We started our chat as Trevor was busy re-fitting the rear wheel to a stunning 1969 Porsche 911T. The car had been brought in for restoration by its local owner after he’d bought it in Beverley Hills.
The left-hand drive Porsche is powered by its original 2-litre engine, which was based on a new design at the time using cast-iron cylinder heads and came with a four-speed gearbox.
Next to the Porsche is a 1961 Chevrolet G-10 van. The rare Chevy was brought to Trevor and Steve as a shell and in need of a major rebuild. Over the last few months, the guys have been busy rebuilding the mechanics including fitting a new engine and gearbox, axel overhaul, a brake system restoration and electrical rewire. The interior works included fitting leather heated seating.
The van owner is arranging a full body respray soon to bring the restoration to a happy ending!
Trevor explains his approach to reviving the vehicles that come through the door, saying: “No job is too big or too small and a great deal of our business is ‘word of mouth’.
“We specialise in the mechanical side, from full engine strip downs to gearbox repairs. In terms of the exterior works we can call on some of best local specialists around to apply that top quality finish.”
In another part of the workshop, Trevor shows me a rare 1973 silver Aston Martin V8, which is currently having a major service. Production of the Series 3 Aston Martin ran for 5 years to 1978 with only 967 models being made.
Trevor is also an experienced race car builder, having prepared and maintained vehicles for many big UK events. He’s also run a few race cars in the famous open-road Mille Miglia in Italy.
Currently, the company support and maintain a BMW 116i Trophy car ready for the famous 90-minute endurance race series. This is the third car they have built for the series and each one has been very successful with many podium finishes.
He then tells me about one of his restoration highlights – a 1959 Mercedes 190SL which is now back with its delighted owner.
The two-door roadster was brought to Trevor in a very poor state with a ceased up engine, peeling paintwork and shoddy interior. The owner had brought the Merc over from Poland and an old tax disc, stuck to the windscreen, revealed it was last on the road in 1978!
In its day, the 190SL was heralded as a stylish, yet affordable alternative to the bigger engined 300SL, a car it shared much of its engineering with.
Fast forward five decades on and the coupe facing Trevor and Steve was a major rebuild and mechanical overhaul, involving reviving a 1900cc engine, gearbox rebuild, electrics and trim works down to fixing its hood mechanism.
Restoring the exterior was equally challenging but a white finish and red leather interior would transform the car.
Trevor said: “The 190SL has been one of the longest restoration we’ve been involved in but it’s been very rewarding.
“At Classic and Iconic Cars we share the passion of our customers to bring their cherished motor back to life and deliver a bespoke restoration and repair service suited to their needs.
“We pride ourselves on our ‘open-door’ approach – whether it’s a restoration you need doing or just advice on a project we can help.”
For me, it was a great to spend sometime looking at and hearing about some fabulous restorations. Thanks Trevor and Steve for sparing your time.
To get in touch with the team ring 0113 3183380 or email enquiries@classicandiconic.co.uk
1959 Mercedes 190SL – Before.
1959 Mercedes 190SL – After
