Retro Power - Classic & Retro Car Restoration, Modification and Motorsport Preparation

Who is behind Retropower?

While we believe it is important to have a professional company image, we also recognise that potential customers want to know exactly who they will be dealing with. We'd like to take this opportunity to introduce the faces behind Retropower!

Nathaniel Seviour.

Nathaniel (Nat) has an extensive engineering background as well as a passion for anything powered by internal combustion! After gaining a degree in mechanical engineering, he worked for several years as a Process Improvement Engineer for Timken Bearings, at their Leicestershire based steel rolling mill. Following this he was employed by Metzeler/Schlegel automotive (a tier one automotive sealing systems manufacturer) as Engineering Projects Manager.

Nat is in charge of the fabrication and engineering side of Retropower, and is more than capable of taking an automotive 'dream' and turning it into carefully designed and perfectly executed piece of engineering.

Callum Seviour.

Equally fanatical about cars, Callum (Cal) brings the 'artistic' element to the table. As well as being an experienced automotive painter he has a history in music production and sound engineering, with a number of successful commercial releases under his belt.

Cal has also always been a dedicated petrolhead, owning and restoring dozens of unusual cars over the years, as well as helping Nat with his projects along the way.

Cal is in charge of the assembly, wiring and audio side of Retropower, and his eye for detail and vision for that 'perfect' combination of old and new ensures our vehicles look as good as they go!

Gary Thompson.

Gaz joined us at the start of 2011 and has a wealth of bodywork knowledge. He has over 13 years experience in the automotive bodywork trade, both as a painter and, most recently, working for a bodyshop products supplier. This has given Gaz an invaluable, in-depth knowledge of paints and bodyshop products.

Gaz is responsible for the bodyshop side of Retropower, ensuring every car leaves us with show-winning paintwork!

Gaz also brings another area of knowledge to the table, being a dedicated water-cooled VW fan. This is a great compliment to our existing wealth of knowledge within the Opel/Vauxhall and Ford ranges.

Marc Hipperson.

Also joining us in 2011, Marc has a number of years of bodywork experience under his belt, along with great general mechanical skills.

As well as being Gaz's right-hand man in the bodyshop, Marc is usually responsible for stripping down new projects, blasting work, detailing of components and general tinkering!

His methodical approach and tireless perseverance make him the ideal addition to our team!

Why choose Retropower?

First and foremost is of course the quality of our work. We take great pride in all our projects, large or small, and every one is approached with the same exacting standards and keen attention to detail.

This, however, is not enough to set us apart from the competition. We would be the first to admit that there are other restorers who work to a similar standard, so what else sets us apart from 'the rest'? There are two key factors:

Facilities

One of the things that always tends to hold up an otherwise smoothly executed project is poor quality of work or slow service provided by sub-contractors. To solve this we offer almost all the necessary facilities 'in-house' (see the 'facilities' page for full details). This saves time, money and stress, due not only from the actual employment of the outside companies, but from the transporting of your vehicle between premises.

We can also plan projects in more detail as we know exactly what is involved and what is actually possible with every step of the job.

Communication

With internet technology moving ahead all the time, we want to stay one step ahead of the rest and bring car restoration bang up to date!

Our website is designed not only as a showcase of our work, but also as a 'realtime' diary of all our major projects, allowing customers to see progress on their cars virtually as it happens. We update all our project diaries at least once a week with the latest developments, as well as adding regular blog entries via Twitter keeping you up to date with our latest progress. Twitter updates can be received via SMS so you don't even have to be at your computer to keep up with the latest from our workshop.

We also check and respond to our emails daily, so it's quick and easy to discuss new ideas and details with us whether you are an existing customer or a new enquiry. How much involvement we have in your project's design is up to you, you can tell us every detail, or just give us a brief on what you want from the finished vehicle and let us do the rest. Either way we are never more than a phonecall or email away if you wish to change or add details to your project.

Frequently Asked Questions

We will always do our best to respond to your enquiries in the most comprehensive and helpful manner, however reading the information below will help answer a few basics allowing you to ask the most relevant questions when getting in touch.

"how much will it cost?"

This is (understandably) the question we get the most! With any restoration or custom build, there are a lot of variables and unknowns which will affect cost, but we can usually give you a fairly good 'ball-park' quote. There are however two key pieces of information that will heavily affect costs:

The state the car is supplied in - ie. complete, partially stripped, bare shell etc.
The state you want the car back in - ok so your shell has been perfectly prepared and painted, so all the bits just need bolting back on, right? Sadly it's not that simple. Your slightly scruffy old components now look absolutely terrible against the new paint, and once one part is refurbished the one next to it that looked ok now looks tatty and before you know it every single part has been either refurbished or replaced! If you are after a full restoration, or perfectly presented custom build, do not underestimate the amount of time that goes into inspecting, replacing and detailing all the mechanical components and trim, and reassembling everything with maximum attention to detail.

"can I pay in installments?"

Yes! In fact we have a very simple procedure for payments. We will carry out a 'chunk' of work on your project (usually around £1k worth) and then request payment for that amount before continuing. This way we are never owed any substantial sums, and our customers never get any shocking bills! Progress on your car can be viewed on our website, so even if you are not able to get here in person, you can see the work that has been done before paying.

"how much for a respray?"

This question is far more complex that most people think! Firstly we will not do a 'tart up' and paint job, if there is rust present on your car we will cut it out and replace with new metal, and this often involves removing a lot, if not all the interior. Next there is the extent of the job - do you want door shuts and inside of panels painting, likewise the engine bay? If so, that means removing panels and a lot of painstaking prep work, and unless your car is 'like new' then blasting of these areas as well. At this stage you are basically doing a bare shell restoration which of course is not going to cost a few hundred pounds!

"can you fit ??? engine into ??? car?"

We get a lot of enquiries along the lines of 'is it possible to fit ??? engine into ??? car?'. Well the short answer is yes! Our design and engineering facilities allow us to build virtually anything you can dream up, however what most people underestimate is the amount of time and effort that goes into such projects. It is never just a case of mounting the engine and plumbing it up! Between the staff at Retropower we have a huge knowledge base covering a massive range of cars, but it is not possible to know every detail of every component of every car, so a good deal of research goes into this type of project. We are more than happy to spend some time researching ideas even if it is just to provide a ball-park quote, as long as we think the enquiry is likely to result in a job!

Below is an article from the October 2010 Issue of Total Vauxhall Magazine.


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Who is behind Retropower? While we believe it is important to have a professional company image, we also recognise that potential customers want to know exactly who they will be dealing with. We'd like to take this opportunity to introduce the faces behind Retropower! Nathaniel Seviour. Nathaniel (Nat) has an extensive engineering background as well as a passion for anything powered by internal combustion! After gaining a degree in mechanical engineering, he worked for several years as a Process Improvement Engineer for Timken Bearings, at their Leicestershire based steel rolling mill. Following this he was employed by Metzeler/Schlegel automotive (a tier one automotive sealing systems manufacturer) as Engineering Projects Manager. Nat is in charge of the fabrication and engineering side of Retropower, and is more than capable of taking an automotive 'dream' and turning it into carefully designed and perfectly executed piece of engineering. Callum Seviour. Equally fanatical about cars, Callum (Cal) brings the 'artistic' element to the table. As well as being an experienced automotive painter he has a history in music production and sound engineering, with a number of successful commercial releases under his belt. Cal has also always been a dedicated petrolhead, owning and restoring dozens of unusual cars over the years, as well as helping Nat with his projects along the way. Cal is in charge of the assembly, wiring and audio side of Retropower, and his eye for detail and vision for that 'perfect' combination of old and new ensures our vehicles look as good as they go! Gary Thompson. Gaz joined us at the start of 2011 and has a wealth of bodywork knowledge. He has over 13 years experience in the automotive bodywork trade, both as a painter and, most recently, working for a bodyshop products supplier. This has given Gaz an invaluable, in-depth knowledge of paints and bodyshop products. Gaz is responsible for the bodyshop side of Retropower, ensuring every car leaves us with show-winning paintwork! Gaz also brings another area of knowledge to the table, being a dedicated water-cooled VW fan. This is a great compliment to our existing wealth of knowledge within the Opel/Vauxhall and Ford ranges. Marc Hipperson. Also joining us in 2011, Marc has a number of years of bodywork experience under his belt, along with great general mechanical skills. As well as being Gaz's right-hand man in the bodyshop, Marc is usually responsible for stripping down new projects, blasting work, detailing of components and general tinkering! His methodical approach and tireless perseverance make him the ideal addition to our team! Why choose Retropower? First and foremost is of course the quality of our work. We take great pride in all our projects, large or small, and every one is approached with the same exacting standards and keen attention to detail. This, however, is not enough to set us apart from the competition. We would be the first to admit that there are other restorers who work to a similar standard, so what else sets us apart from 'the rest'? There are two key factors: Facilities One of the things that always tends to hold up an otherwise smoothly executed project is poor quality of work or slow service provided by sub-contractors. To solve this we offer almost all the necessary facilities 'in-house' (see the 'facilities' page for full details). This saves time, money and stress, due not only from the actual employment of the outside companies, but from the transporting of your vehicle between premises. We can also plan projects in more detail as we know exactly what is involved and what is actually possible with every step of the job. Communication With internet technology moving ahead all the time, we want to stay one step ahead of the rest and bring car restoration bang up to date! Our website is designed not only as a showcase of our work, but also as a 'realtime' diary of all our major projects, allowing customers to see progress on their cars virtually as it happens. We update all our project diaries at least once a week with the latest developments, as well as adding regular blog entries via Twitter keeping you up to date with our latest progress. Twitter updates can be received via SMS so you don't even have to be at your computer to keep up with the latest from our workshop. We also check and respond to our emails daily, so it's quick and easy to discuss new ideas and details with us whether you are an existing customer or a new enquiry. How much involvement we have in your project's design is up to you, you can tell us every detail, or just give us a brief on what you want from the finished vehicle and let us do the rest. Either way we are never more than a phonecall or email away if you wish to change or add details to your project. Frequently Asked Questions We will always do our best to respond to your enquiries in the most comprehensive and helpful manner, however reading the information below will help answer a few basics allowing you to ask the most relevant questions when getting in touch. "how much will it cost?" This is (understandably) the question we get the most! With any restoration or custom build, there are a lot of variables and unknowns which will affect cost, but we can usually give you a fairly good 'ball-park' quote. There are however two key pieces of information that will heavily affect costs: The state the car is supplied in - ie. complete, partially stripped, bare shell etc. The state you want the car back in - ok so your shell has been perfectly prepared and painted, so all the bits just need bolting back on, right? Sadly it's not that simple. Your slightly scruffy old components now look absolutely terrible against the new paint, and once one part is refurbished the one next to it that looked ok now looks tatty and before you know it every single part has been either refurbished or replaced! If you are after a full restoration, or perfectly presented custom build, do not underestimate the amount of time that goes into inspecting, replacing and detailing all the mechanical components and trim, and reassembling everything with maximum attention to detail. "can I pay in installments?" Yes! In fact we have a very simple procedure for payments. We will carry out a 'chunk' of work on your project (usually around £1k worth) and then request payment for that amount before continuing. This way we are never owed any substantial sums, and our customers never get any shocking bills! Progress on your car can be viewed on our website, so even if you are not able to get here in person, you can see the work that has been done before paying. "how much for a respray?" This question is far more complex that most people think! Firstly we will not do a 'tart up' and paint job, if there is rust present on your car we will cut it out and replace with new metal, and this often involves removing a lot, if not all the interior. Next there is the extent of the job - do you want door shuts and inside of panels painting, likewise the engine bay? If so, that means removing panels and a lot of painstaking prep work, and unless your car is 'like new' then blasting of these areas as well. At this stage you are basically doing a bare shell restoration which of course is not going to cost a few hundred pounds! "can you fit ??? engine into ??? car?" We get a lot of enquiries along the lines of 'is it possible to fit ??? engine into ??? car?'. Well the short answer is yes! Our design and engineering facilities allow us to build virtually anything you can dream up, however what most people underestimate is the amount of time and effort that goes into such projects. It is never just a case of mounting the engine and plumbing it up! Between the staff at Retropower we have a huge knowledge base covering a massive range of cars, but it is not possible to know every detail of every component of every car, so a good deal of research goes into this type of project. We are more than happy to spend some time researching ideas even if it is just to provide a ball-park quote, as long as we think the enquiry is likely to result in a job! Below is an article from the October 2010 Issue of Total Vauxhall Magazine.
	Media Blasting	Fabrication	Machining	Paintwork	Wiring