Kingsley

Kingsley's Reborn range opens with the KC Series, a fixed-price, two-door restoration of one of the marque's own Suffix donor cars (or a client's original example, subject to inspection) that keeps the Range Rover Classic entirely authentic and unmodified. Every KC build is stripped to the bodyshell, with corrosion cut out and new sections of correctly gauged steel butt welded into place, while the chassis and axles are media blasted, epoxy mastic coated and rebuilt with new powertrain, braking, suspension and steering components before a six-week paint process and a 500 mile road test. Buyers choose between the Suffix "A Kit Kat" interior and the later "8 Pleat" trim, with Herringbone nylon seats available as an option. The KR Series follows the same ground-up, rust-free rebuild philosophy but reinterprets the Range Rover Classic for daily use, a car The Telegraph dubbed the "Ultimate Classic Rangie." Power comes from a choice of three uprated, fuel injected V8s: a 240bhp base unit, a 310bhp High Torque version built on a Rover block with a special crank and Kingsley's own high-efficiency injection paired to a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual, and a 430bhp General Motors Chevrolet LS V8 mated to a six-speed electronic automatic. Fast Road suspension with custom dampers, bespoke springs and uprated anti-roll bars sharpens handling, while an optional Big Brake kit fits six-pot front and four-pot rear calipers behind the original 16 inch wheels. Interiors are trimmed in Nappa leather with double stitch quilting, Bentley Brooklands style detailing, Alcantara or tartan options, custom wood veneers and full cabin soundproofing.

from £125,000 + taxes

The KD Series applies the same re-engineering philosophy to the Land Rover Defender, an initiative that proved successful enough to warrant its own dedicated site, kingsleydefenders.co.uk. Defenders are stripped to a bare shell for full body and chassis restoration, then finished through Kingsley's own 15 stage paint protocol in its Novol-approved bodyshop. The original Rover V8 is completely re-engineered in 4.6 or 5.0 litre form, fed by either a modified Lucas 14CUX fuel injection system or twin SU carburettors, and comes with a five year, unlimited mileage warranty when serviced annually by Kingsley, alongside optional ZF 4HP22 or electronic 4HP24 automatic gearbox conversions. Running gear upgrades include custom-developed dampers and springs that lower the ride height by 1.5 inches, uprated anti-roll bars, 24 spline heavy duty driveshafts machined from 4340 alloy steel, an automatic TrueTrac limited slip differential and a Big Brake kit with six-pot front and two-pot rear calipers engineered to fit behind every original wheel design, including the Rostyle. Kingsley also produces its own tubeless 8J wide Rostyle, Wolf and Series-style wheels, and the wider KD programme extends to V8 conversions from 3.5 to 5.0 litres, LHD to RHD conversions, panoramic roof and cabriolet conversions, air conditioning retrofits and full overlander or camper builds.

from £140,000 + taxes

The KSR Series sits at the top of the Kingsley range, a fully bespoke, ground-up build programme positioned as the definitive evolution of the Range Rover Classic for a new generation of owners. The legacy cabin is re-engineered in partnership with one of Britain's most celebrated interior specialists, gaining a new dashboard, a modernised air conditioning system, a digital instrument binnacle and wireless CarPlay alongside a redesigned centre console. Power comes from Kingsley's High Torque 4.6 litre V8 paired with a four-speed automatic gearbox, with proven LS V8 and six-speed automatic pairings available on request. The KSR is the first Kingsley build programme to feature fully electronic, active damping suspension as standard, with pre-programmed setups for road and off-road use, backed by the Kingsley Big Brake kit for stopping power and cornering precision. Offered as a two- or four-door, every KSR is finished to a completely bespoke specification, with Kingsley's interior design partners sourcing leather hides and trim finishes to order.

from £220,000 + taxes