Restomod Update No.1 – Pistonheads
The first of a new series in which we show the guys from Pistonheads behind the scenes of Retropower, with a focus on the kind of bespoke engineering and design that’s part and parcel of working for one of the country’s premier restomod outfits. This article details the creation of custom front wings for the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, the Lancia Stratos (both its Life Racing PDU and ‘Busso’ V6), and the interior of ‘Project Kaiser,’ the W108 Mercedes. Click through to give it a read.
“Clearly there wasn’t going to be enough time to cover off everything in a half-day of nosing around (there was a dog to pat, after all) so instead we thought it might be nice to keep in contact with the Retropower brain trust – owner/brothers, Callum and Nat – and bring you a regular behind-the-scenes look at some of the more interesting examples of one-off engineering going on behind closed doors.”
“The end result of all this can be seen here, with Stu Gunn, Retropower’s prime fabricator, having spent much of the past week panel beating a series of one-off replacements for the Giulietta’s front end, the vast majority of which are no longer available from Alfa Romeo (or anywhere, for that matter) Both the inner wings and associated bonnet rails have been painstakingly recreated using a combination of an English Wheel, various presses and shaping blocks, not to mention Stu’s decades of hard won experience, as have both sills and the front panel.”
