At Hillarys our experience in Classic car restoration is in our DNA, evolving through decades since our establishment. Returning your pride and joy to it’s former glory, our classic car restoration service handles all aspects of your restoration project covered. We are able to restore any make or model of classic car, everything from a classic Ferrari, Aston Martin, Porsche, Mercedes, MG, Land Rover, Morgan, Morris, Mini – to name a few. We are classic car restoration specialists in Royal Tunbridge Wells.
Discover our classic car restoration process to give you a clearer understanding of work required to revive your pride and joy.
This initial stage of the restoration process must be completed before the extent of work required in any restoration can be fully understood. This is where we are able to provide the customer with a written estimation of the work required, which includes; the time we believe it will take to complete, along with the cost of the work and parts required.
We now begin the labour intensive process of restoring your classic car. We have a fully equipped bodyshop and a team of highly skilled, experienced technicians. Classic car restoration is in our DNA and the knowledge of our craftsman is second to none.
Depending on what is required and how long we have estimated the restoration will take, it is usually a fairly long process. We will provide you with regular updates on the progress of your classic car restoration. We will also advise you if we uncover anything during the process, such as additional parts that may be required. We aim to source all parts for you, however this can be challenging with rare or specialist vehicles. On occasion, we may need to fabricate a new part which is no longer available – you are in very safe hands with Hillarys.
We put all the pieces back together, re-fix all the nuts and bolts. The car is professionally machine polished to bring out the deep colour and shine of your exquisite new paintwork.
Once we have finished the restoration project, your vehicle will be prepared ready for collection. We provide a beautiful photographic booklet of your restoration which can be kept with the vehicle, adding to the history and provenance of your pride and joy.
We have successfully restored a vast range of classic cars for our customers, owing to the reputation we have today.
We take pride in offering an exceptional customer experience, here are a few words from some of our many happy customers.
After an unfortunate accident ended up with big dent in front bonnet of my Mercedes. One company told me that they couldn’t get dent out and I needed a new bonnet at a ridiculous price. Went to see Richard and his team who did a fantastic job in repairing dent. It looked like a new bonnet but at over half the cost. Richard and his team are passionate about what they do and this shines through in the quality of workmanship. Highly recommend them.
Great workmanship repairing the bodywork.
My Jaguar was involved in an accident with a wall and based on a friend’s recommendation, I took it into Hillarys to see if they could help. They were brilliant. Very friendly and helpful and you would never know the car had been repaired. Very pleased my friend recommended Hillarys and I will now do the same.
I had my Audi in with Richard and the team for some parking damage. I also decided to have a new front bumper, as it was damaged previously and repaired poorly.
The work carried out was to an extremely high standard, they were very courteous and also supplied a courtesy car for the duration.
Recommended without hesitation.
I was worried that my car would look like it had been painted as people I have used in the past have never done a very good job. I wish I had found Hillarys Coachworks sooner! What an amazing repair and you can’t see it at all! Thank you so much!
Delighted to hear from my elderly father that the charming owners of Hillarys Coachworks fixed his wing mirror with a smile when he wasn’t sure how to get it fixed- I am sure you had much better things to do but he was so very grateful and impressed with your kindness and generosity not charging him-thank you.
Hillarys was one of the very few companies that had the expertise to work on my vehicle. My insurer struggled to find any of ‘their’ repairers to take on the work on what they called a classic car (1997 Nissan Skyline)
Richard and his skilled team took on the work and patiently waited for parts shipped direct from Japan. Once they had all the necessary items the work was complete in good time and to an amazing standard as they work on prestige/rare vehicles daily.
It is hard to find a company like this that has been run by the same owner (40 years) and that offers you a cup of tea religiously on arrival.
The 1.5hr drive to the companies HQ was worth the effort as the car has been returned to better than before the accident. Additional items were flagged and even dealt with during the job as good practice. Communication was very good and prompt with all prices being very clear. Brilliant work, brilliant ethos and management. A1.
The only bodyshop I trust with my cars. You are in very safe hands with Richard and his team.
Explore some common frequently asked questions we have encountered regarding classic car restoration.
The time needed to restore a classic car can vary wildly based upon the chosen classic car and current condition. Rare vehicles can have a longer restoration time due to the availability of obtaining the required parts. A classic car restoration can take a matter of months or years. The best way to estimate the time needed to restore your classic car is to bring it down to our garage for a free inspection.
In order to give you an estimate for the cost of restoration, we would need to see your vehicle. It may be possible for us to provide a very rough estimate based on clear photographs and a detailed description of what you require.
As part of the restoration works, we will endeavour to source all of the required parts for you. If many parts are required, or the parts are difficult to obtain, this can increase the duration of the restoration.
Yes. Upon a visual inspection of your classic car, we will understand what is needed and what requirements you have. Some clients just want to improve some cosmetic aspects of the vehicle, others want a full restoration which allows them to take the vehicle to events and specialist car shows. With car restoration, there is no one size fits all solution.
We will need to complete a physical inspection of your classic car. Our skilled team are certainly able to deal with corrosion, these parts are either taken back to bare metal or replaced, depending on the severity of the corrosion. We will discuss the time and cost estimate with you and you can decide whether you are happy to proceed with a restoration.
No. We do not offer an engine remap service, as this is not our specialist area. We may be able to recommend a local company that can assist you, depending on your vehicle make, model and age.
With regard to: leather repairs, seat re-trimming, headlining, dashboard re-trimming and other interior re-trim or repairs. We have an excellent relationship with a very well established company who specialise in this type of work. If this type of work is required then we will get them involved in the restoration process. Additional services like this can be included in your overall estimate for you.
Specialising mainly in sports and prestige vehicles owing to our experience and industry knowledge. Our customers have full peace of mind that whether we are working on their everyday car, or their cherished pride and joy, they will be delighted with the outcome.
Our team are happy to supply a free, no obligation estimate for any paint and body repairs to your vehicle. Whether you are looking for a small paint repair, accident damage or full restoration project – we would love to hear from you!
Marlborough Garage,
Mount Ephraim,
Tunbridge Wells,
Kent, TN4 8BB
01892 520500
info@hillaryscoachworks.co.uk
OPENING HOURS
Mon-Fri : 8am-5pm | Sat : 9am-12pm | Sun : Closed
We are proudly members of the National Body Repair Association (NBRA)
Website by: LYTHOUSE
