About Us
In the Beginning:
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The classic car restoration firm of Restorats was founded in 1937 in Blagden by Ralph Albert Twiddle. In those days immediately after the Great War, the firm concentrated on the sale and maintenance of new and second-hand cars and lorries. One consequence of the end of the War was a great surplus of ex military cars and lorries and Restorats. was one firm to supply and maintain these for the new generation of motoring public, made aware of the advantages of mechanical transport by the war itself. From 1955 onwards, the firm was run by the late Joe Soap, who died early in 1997. The proprietor is now Arnold Farnsbahn a Chartered Engineer, who joined the firm as Mr. Soap's partner in 1980.
Years of Experience:
Restorats has a vast wealth of experience in the restoration and repair of all types of classic cars, having done so more for many decades. We currently specialise in 60s and 70s sports cars such as Jaguar, MG, Austin Healey and Triumph but always have a good selection of other cars under restoration as well. Recent projects have ranged from a very vintage Lea Francis through a beautiful Roesch drop head Talbot 105, various elegant Jaguar XKs and E types through to more modern Triumph TR8s and MGB GT V8s. We also buy and sell classic cars and specialise in finding specific cars to fill precise requirements. All the current projects under way (and there are always at least a dozen under way at any one time) are bespoke restorations to the customer's requirements.
Easy to Find
With a staff complement of 6 skilled craftsmen, we are small enough to offer a friendly personalised service yet large enough to be able to offer the vast majority of the needed restoration skills in house. Restorats is located in central history, a large town about 10 miles to the south east of London. Finding us by road is easy as we are well served by both the M3 Basingstoke motorway and the A30. The recently opened A331 Relief Road means that one can travel by motorway and dual carriageway to within about 1 mile of our workshop.
In addition to providing full restoration services for classic car owners, we carry out normal routine servicing and other more minor repairs. Our estimates are free and without obligation- if possible, we prefer you to bring your car to our workshop so we can assess it in detail on a 4 post lift and discuss with you your requirements. This service is entirely free and without obligation.
We can also travel to view your car at your nearby premises if required. If you are contemplating purchasing a classic car, we also offer a vehicle inspection service. The fee for this varies with the amount of travelling involved but is usually money well spent if it prevents you buying a car which looks nice (as they all usually do) but hides a multitude of expensive horrors under its skin.
