ABOUT US
Thornley Kelham was founded in 2008 by Simon Thornley and Wayne Kelham, originally as The Vintage & Classic Paintshop. From day one, their goal was simple: to prepare and paint the world’s finest cars to uncompromising standards. What began as a small specialist workshop soon evolved into something much greater—fuelled by passion, craftsmanship, and a shared love of motoring heritage.
By 2012, the business had grown far beyond paintwork alone, and the name Thornley Kelham Ltd was born. Just two years later, the company made its debut at Pebble Beach, marking a milestone moment that inspired the creation of the celebrated Outlaw programme - the Lancia Aurelia B20GT ‘Fuorilegge’. This reimagined icon has since captured the attention of enthusiasts and media around the world.
Today, Thornley Kelham is home to a team of around 30 specialists, offering full, ground-up restorations and bespoke builds. Our capabilities now include engine building, rewiring, coachbuilding, and race preparation. With a fully equipped machine shop, engine room, Dyno facility, and extensive metal and paint departments, every stage of the restoration process is handled in-house. Across more than 32,000 square feet of purpose-designed workshop space, we bring together traditional craftsmanship and modern precision.
We are based in the beautiful Cotswolds, just outside Cirencester. We welcome visitors at pretty much any time, with a bit of notice, and we are also happy to hold open evenings/Saturday mornings for classic car clubs and groups of vintage enthusiasts to share a beer and quiz us on our work.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
Ultimately we wanted to build a company that would embody our beliefs, talents, and experience, that our employees could build their lives around, and that our customers would be happy they chose.
To achieve that means working constantly towards ever higher standards, delivering on our promises, being transparent and open in our dealings with you, and just doing things right.
And we must be doing something right. In January 2009 there were just three of us, two cars to work on, and a paint booth. We were fortunate that a handful of customers gave us a chance to prove ourselves. We owe them a lot, and we took the opportunity they offered to prove that our approach could work. Wayne had over twenty five years working on wonderful cars to the highest standards – for someone else. Simon had worked in various countries building businesses and teams – again mainly for others, but always with a passion for classic cars. We shared a common work ethic and mutual trust, and wanted to put our beliefs and experience to the test.
We now have a large portfolio of quality-driven restoration projects across the wide spectrum of iconic car marques including a number of concours-winning projects. We are proud of what we have achieved so far and aim consistently to provide the attention to detail and highest standards our discerning customers around the world have come to expect. Simply put: The Design, The Details, The Drive.
