Paint is where all the unseen work finally becomes visible. A body that has been trued in metal, faired in lead and prepared with patience deserves a finish of equal quality — and that means time, not chemistry. We build our paintwork in layers, flatting between each by hand, until the surface reflects the world in a single unbroken plane. There is no substitute for the hours this takes, and no shortcut that survives close inspection.
We work in colours correct to each car, mixing to original formulations and to surviving reference where it exists. Many classic shades have a depth and warmth that modern stock colours miss entirely, and getting them right is a craft in itself. Whether your car wears a single regal coachwork colour or a subtle two-tone, the goal is the same: a finish that looks as though it grew on the metal rather than being sprayed onto it.
Built in layers, finished by hand
The depth that distinguishes a great finish comes from preparation and patience. Primer is applied, blocked back, and applied again until the surface is dead flat. Colour and clear are laid down in controlled coats, then flatted and machine-polished by hand to a deep, liquid gloss. We resist the temptation to rush curing or to over-polish; a finish hurried today will tell on the car in a year.
The coachline
The crowning detail on many of these cars is the coachline — the fine painted stripe that follows the body's waist, drawn freehand with a long-haired lining brush, or "sword". It cannot be masked and it cannot be faked; it is laid in a single confident stroke by a hand that has done it ten thousand times. A correct coachline, in the correct colour and weight, transforms a car. A clumsy one ruins it. We treat it with the seriousness it deserves.
What we offer
- Bare-metal and full bodywork repaints to original colours
- Hand-flatting and polishing for a deep, mirror-flat finish
- Colour matching to original formulations and surviving reference
- Freehand coachlining and gold-leaf detailing
- Localised, invisible repairs to existing good paintwork
- Engine bay, chassis and detail painting to correct finishes
The right gloss for the car
Not every classic should gleam like a show car. A pre-war car may call for a softer, more restrained lustre; a sixties grand tourer for a deep, glassy shine. Part of our work is judging the correct character of the finish for the marque and the era, so the car looks right rather than merely new. The finest compliment our paintwork can earn is that nobody notices it is new at all — they simply see a beautiful car, exactly as it was always meant to look.