Specialist Classic Car Restoration at Bell Sport and Classic

Our Restorations Process

Whether it’s a back to bare metal restoration or a careful preservation project, Bell Sport & Classic has the skill and experience to deliver to the highest level. Our work is carried out to the very highest standards – it’s the quality of workmanship, the accuracy of fit, the authenticity of the ‘look and feel’ that is poured back into the car that sets our projects apart. Our team are skilled in period techniques used by specialist car makers like Ferrari, Aston Martin and Maserati. Our craftsmen are experts in hand-forming and finishing panels using tools and techniques that are fast becoming lost skills, and we are proud that the quality of our restoration work meets Ferrari Classiche standards. Enough said…

Bringing your car back to life

Bringing a car back to life is relatively easy – anyone can do that – restoring a masterpiece is anything but. Recapturing a car’s original personality and spirit then returning it to its former glory can only be achieved using a combination of technical excellence and outstanding craftsmanship underpinned by knowledge, experience, passion, and perfectionism.

The vast majority of the cars we restore are classics from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Cars from this era were not made on a computerised assembly line, they are masterpieces of engineering: lovingly assembled, hand finished and brought into the world by people, not robots. Each is unique, possessing an individual personality that has to be understood and rekindled during their restoration.

Our technicians have a thorough understanding of the ‘nut-and-bolt’ technology used by the original manufacturers. No corners are cut. No stone left unturned. For Bell Sport & Classic “That’ll do”, simply won’t.

Aston Martin DB5 Restoration Bell Sport and Classic

Our Process

Restoration is both a science and an art. It is a blend of conservation, refurbishment, renewal and rebuilding that, when used appropriately, preserves as much of the original car as possible, both materially, in personality and in spirit.

Simply replacing worn out components and damaged body parts is not restoration. It may be easier and less expensive to simply replace a particular component, but doing so means that part of the original car is lost forever – taken to the extreme, it’s a process that will eventually result in a ‘new’ car, its originality and value seriously compromised. This is not the Bell philosophy.

Returning a classic car to its former glory can only be achieved by an experienced team commanding the technical excellence, outstanding craftsmanship and passionate pursuit of perfection. Our work is delivered to the Bell standard by a team who know that it is the quality of workmanship, attention to detail and the authenticity of the finished car that counts.

Your project

Every restoration project is unique. The make and model of the car, its age, its historical significance, its rarity, the condition it’s in and what you want us to do all affect the project pathway. You may have an exceptionally rare competition model that’s been standing in a garage for years and that you want brought back to ‘Concours’ standard, or you may have a lovingly cared for ‘production car’ that needs little more than the paint work refinished and a thorough service. Every project follows a similar path but is utterly individual in its detail.

Our first steps are to carry out a very thorough assessment of what you have and then establish a complete, detailed picture of what you’d like us to do, inputting our thoughts and ideas along the way to define a collaborative project brief. The project plan will be unique and will set out a detailed programme of potential work, provide cost estimates and give a projected timetable.

Having researched the project vehicle meticulously (often using our special relationships with the manufacturers and archives) we’ll know exactly what we have to do and how. We will document everything we do, take high-resolution photos and create a restoration project file that forms part of the car’s detailed history. Naturally, we’ll keep you informed of progress and invite you to visit the site for milestone activity – however our project owners more often than not like to simply drop in and get as ‘hands on’ with the team as they want. We are immensely proud to show our working and feel that owner involvement is a worthwhile investment.

Ferrari Dino Restoration Bell Sport and Classic

Manufacturer certification – Ferrari Classiche

Ferrari Classiche is the official Ferrari certification and authentication programme and provides owners of road-going Ferraris over 20 years old, and all Ferrari competition cars, confirmation from Ferrari about the authenticity of their car.

At the end of a restoration project, technical representatives from Ferrari check that everything is original and/or comply with the car’s original specification.

A detailed report is compiled by Ferrari’s assessor and this is sent to the Ferrari Classiche department at Maranello. Details are checked against factory records and, if the restoration is approved, Ferrari issues a ‘Ferrari Classiche Certificazione di Autenticità’, a document which adds to the car’s provenance and value.

We are proud to say that through the high quality of our restoration work we have successfully gained Ferrari Classiche certification for projects through the Official Ferrari Dealer Network.