What Thornley Kelham does

Thornley Kelham Ltd. is a UK private limited company (Co. Reg. 06720975) that operates a single, purpose-built 32,000+ square foot classic car restoration and modification workshop in South Cerney, Gloucestershire, employing approximately 30 specialist craftspeople across metalwork, panel fabrication, paint, engine building, machining, electrical, trimming and woodwork. Founded in 2008 by Simon Thornley and Wayne Kelham originally as The Vintage & Classic Paintshop (renamed Thornley Kelham Ltd. in 2012), the company has evolved into a full-service, in-house restoration house whose work has won concours awards at Pebble Beach, Salon Privé, Chantilly, Hampton Court and Rockingham Castle, and has been featured in Automobile, Robb Report, Octane, TopGear, GQ, Hagerty and Petrolicious.

The company generates revenue almost exclusively through bespoke professional services delivered to high-net-worth classic car collectors worldwide, with project pricing typically between £100,000 and over £500,000 depending on vehicle and scope, and a disclosed fixed-price offering of £185,000 for a Citroën SM concours restoration. Core service lines include ground-up restoration, bespoke modification and engineering upgrades, rally preparation and on-event support (Mille Miglia, Tour Auto), seasonal servicing and recommissioning, concours preparation, and discreet Sale-or-Return broking for collectors. Its commercial product line, branded the European Collection, comprises limited-edition restomod reinterpretations of iconic classics — the Lancia Aurelia B20GT Outlaw (sold out at 9 units), the Jaguar XK European GT Roadster and Coupé (Coupé limited to 25), the Porsche 911 European RS and the Porsche 356 European SL — each requiring over 5,000 hours of hand-formed aluminium craftsmanship.

Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, with no retail or reseller channels: the co-founders personally manage client consultations, supported by a global sales partner (La Source) for international outreach, dedicated coachtrimming capacity via a permanent bay inside O'Rourke Coach Trimming, and demand generation through earned media, a bi-weekly subscriber newsletter (The TK Gazette), and presence at leading concours and motorsport events. The 2019 acquisition of specialist engine builder Race Techniques brought all engine building and dyno testing fully in-house, and a non-founder director and shareholder (Pim) joined in 2021.

Name

Thornley Kelham

Legal name

Thornley Kelham Ltd.

Website

https://thornleykelham.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Thornley Kelham is a UK-based classic car restoration and modification specialist operating a single 32,000+ sq ft workshop in the Cotswolds, employing ~30 craftspeople to deliver concours-grade restorations, the European Collection restomod programme, and rally support for high-net-worth collectors worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

All Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (33299)

SIC

Fabricated Structural Metal Products (3440), Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Products (3490)

akta.pro primary industry

Refurbishment, Restoration & Reconditioning Services (CRAKAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cylinder Heads, Blocks & Rotating Assemblies Machining/Rebuild Services (TLAKALAG)

Keywords

• Classic car restoration
• Bespoke coachbuilding
• Restomod modification
• Concours preparation
• Historic rally support

Headquarters

HQ city

South Cerney

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Full Restoration Services: Ground-up, award-winning restorations of classic cars to concours standards. Customers commission restorations for rare, high-value vehicles (pre-war through post-war). Pricing is bespoke and project-specific, typically ranging from £100,000 to over £500,000 depending on the vehicle and scope.
2. Bespoke Modification & Restomod: The European Collection programme — reimagined classics with modernised engineering, including the Jaguar XK European GT, Porsche 911 European RS, and Porsche 356 European SL. Customers commission bespoke builds tailored to their vision. Pricing is bespoke per project.
3. Discreet Car Sales: Thornley Kelham handles discreet sales of cars on behalf of private collectors via a Sale or Return service, as well as offering their own restored or reimagined vehicles for sale.
4. Rally Preparation & Support: Preparation and on-event support for historic rally and endurance cars including the Mille Miglia and Tour Auto.
5. Servicing & Recommissioning: Seasonal recommissioning, routine maintenance, and mechanical care for classic vehicles of any make or model up to 2005.
6. Fixed-Price Restoration Opportunities: Thornley Kelham offers specific restoration projects at fixed prices, such as the Citroën SM restoration at £185,000 for SM1, with SM2 and SM3 pricing available on application.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Thornley Kelham is a specialist workshop providing ground-up classic car restorations, bespoke modifications, and the European Collection restomod programme. All work — metalwork, panel fabrication, paint, engine building, machining, rewiring, trimming, and assembly — is delivered in-house by ~30 specialists from a 32,000+ sq ft Cotswolds facility. Supporting services include rally preparation, concours preparation, and discreet Sale-or-Return broker services for private collectors.

Product overview

Thornley Kelham is a classic car restoration and modification business offering a comprehensive suite of services across over 32,000 square feet of workshop space. Their core offering includes full ground-up restorations and the European Collection restomod programme. The European Collection comprises reimagined classics including the Jaguar XK European GT (Roadster and Coupé), Porsche 911 European RS, and Porsche 356 European SL, alongside the limited-edition Lancia Aurelia B20GT 'Outlaw'. Supporting services include engine building, metalwork, engineering, paint, coach trimming, woodwork, rally support, concours preparation, and discreet sales. The company operates from the Cotswolds and serves clients globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The European Collection: A range of reimagined automotive icons including Jaguar XK European GT Roadster, Jaguar XK European GT Coupé, Porsche 911 European RS, and Porsche 356 European SL - restomod projects built to modern specifications while preserving classic heritage.
• European Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• Three cars powered by Race Techniques engines achieved the highest speeds in their class at the 2018 Le Mans Classic, producing more than double the output of original engines.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• O'Rourke Coach TrimmingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Thornley Kelham has a long-standing partnership with O'Rourke, world-class coachtrimmers. O'Rourke's team finishes the European Collection's interiors, which feature redesigned layouts, leather-trimmed rollcages, and complex leather-lined panels. Thornley Kelham takes a permanent bay within the O'Rourke facility as European Collection production begins in earnest. Previous joint projects include a Lancia Astura Torpedo Sport (named 'Most Elegant or Special Interior' at Zoute Concours) and a Bizzarrini 3500GT Stradale (which won Octane magazine's 'Restoration of the Year').
• Race Techniques LtdcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020Thornley Kelham formed a partnership with Race Techniques Ltd in 2020, a specialist engine tuning and building business founded by Mike. Race Techniques has achieved class wins at Le Mans Classic, Goodwood Revival, and Isle of Man TT, and builds high-performance engines for historic sports-racing and GT cars. The partnership enables Thornley Kelham to deliver benchmark power, efficiency, and durability for road and competition engine specifications. Thornley Kelham subsequently acquired Race Techniques.
• Jonathan Connolly (Connolly Leather)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThornley Kelham partners with Jonathan Connolly to supply exclusive leather hides (Vaumol range) for all European Collection models. All Lancia Aurelia Outlaws have been trimmed in Connolly leather.
• La SourcecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLa Source serves as Thornley Kelham's global sales partner for the European Collection, including the Jaguar XK European GT. James Banks at La Source handles ownership discussions and attends events such as Monterey Car Week to present the cars to potential clients.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Alfaholics: UK and Italy-based Alfa Romeo restoration and restomod shop producing reimagined Alfa GTA/GTV models for enthusiast collectors. Comparable bespoke Italian classic restomod model and similar HNW customer profile.
• RUF Automobile: German manufacturer of bespoke Porsche-based performance cars and restomods sold as turnkey builds to collectors. Comparable reimagined Porsche restomod product line and collector-driven sales motion.
• Classic Motor Cars: UK-based award-winning classic car restoration shop with similar in-house capabilities across restoration disciplines and concours focus. Direct competitor for UK restoration commissions.
• Lunaz Design: UK-based specialist restoring and electrifying classic luxury cars (Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, Aston Martin) for HNW clients. Overlapping customer base, similar bespoke pricing, and shared focus on modernising classic vehicles for contemporary usability.
• JD Classics: UK-based classic car restoration, servicing, and race preparation business historically serving concours and racing clients. Comparable UK restoration capability and HNW collector customer base, though broader in marque coverage.
• Singer Vehicle Design: California-based Porsche 911 and 356 restomod specialist operating a similar model of reimagined, limited-run, bespoke-commission classics with high-six-figure pricing. Directly comparable product category, customer base (HNW collectors), and bespoke restomod positioning.
• GTO Engineering: UK-based Ferrari restoration, recreation (250 GTO-style continuations), and bespoke servicing specialist. Direct competitor for high-end Ferrari commissions and concours-level Italian restoration work.
• Eagle (Eagle E-Types): UK-based specialist reimagining Jaguar E-Types into high-performance GTs (the Eagle Speedster and Low Drag GT) for global HNW collectors. Closest direct competitor within the Jaguar restomod niche and a fellow Cotswolds/Hampshire craftsman.

Emerging players

• Ivan Dutton FIA Historic Racing: UK specialist focused on historic racing car preparation, restoration, and FIA homologation work. Overlapping capability in engine building and competition preparation for HNW rally/race clients.

Regional players

• Pinkstone Mail: UK-based Aston Martin specialist offering restoration, servicing, and bespoke modifications to collectors. Regional competitor in the British specialist-restoration market, particularly for pre- and post-war British sports cars.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Thornley Kelham