We look back on a year of huge restorative endeavours, featuring a varied selection of classics, from vintage sports cars to modern-classic technology. Vote for your favourite and you could win a workshop’s-worth of quality tools, too
Words JOE BREEZE Photography TONY BAKER, JORDAN BUTTERS, JONATHAN FLEETWOOD, LAURENS PARSONS, ROSS PERRY, DAN SHERWOOD & ADAM SHORROCK
Every month, Classic Cars celebrates the vision, skill and sheer determination that keeps the old car world alive. Our long-running Epic Restoration series gathers the stories of forgotten wrecks and battered icons transformed by ingenuity, patience and the rare blend of original craft and inspired improvisation that only true restorers can muster.
This year, we’ve witnessed an extraordinary variety of challenges and solutions: glassfibre specials reborn, hot hatches elevated to better-than-new, and grand tourers and utilitarian heroes rescued against all odds. Some projects reveal the conundrums of preserving originality, while others showcase fresh or technological thinking – whether that be hugely extensive research, global parts searches, 3D-printed solutions or engineering updates that allow classic metal to thrive in a modern world.
But however varied the machines themselves, as always, it’s the people behind them that strike the most evocative chord. Their stories, their battles with missing parts and terminal decay, and their exhilarating moments of triumph. These stand testament to the fact that restoration is always as much about spirit as it is about spanners.
Now, as we cast an eye over 12 months of remarkable comebacks and hard-won victories in Epic Restoration of the Year 2026, Classic Cars and Machine Mart invite you to vote for your favourite transformation. Which of these restoration stories speaks the most to you?
Read on, be inspired, and then start planning an epic restoration of your own. Voting gives you the chance to win a handy haul of the top-quality tools you’ll need to make your plans a reality. Details are below.
‘The level of craftsmanship and dedication to detail in these classic car restorations is truly outstanding. From painstaking bodywork to flawless paint finishes and carefully rebuilt engines, the skill and passion behind each project is clear to see. The complexity of bringing these timeless vehicles back to life is nothing short of remarkable, and every restorer involved should be immensely proud of their achievement.’
James Lewin, Machine Mart
Terms & Conditions:
Entries must be submitted during the following entry period: From 1st April 2026 at 12am to 11:59pm on the 30th April 2026.
There will be one Restoration winner of the Competition. All valid entries will be pooled and the winner will be the person with the most votes. The restorer winner will receive a certificate from the Classic Cars editorial team.
All entrants of this competition will be automatically entered into the Machine Mart Prize Draw.
The Prize is provided by Machine Mart (the “Prize Provider”). We are not responsible for any aspect of the Prize, including unsatisfactory quality or late delivery or a prize winner being unable to take up any aspect, or the entirety of the prize due to their own circumstances or restrictions.
Prizes are non-transferable, non-refundable and no cash alternative will be offered.
These winners will be selected at random after the competition has finished. These Prizes will be sent to the winners and Machine Mart will cover the delivery costs of this.
For full terms and conditions, please click here