Thornley Kelham has partnered with California-based O’Gara Coach – renowned for representing Bugatti, McLaren, Rolls-Royce and more – as its USA retail partner for the European Collection of reimagined automotive icons. Extraordinary in their craftsmanship, design and performance, Thornley Kelham believes O’Gara Coach can provide customers with a buying and ownership experience that matches the ambition of the Collection.

The European RS – a study of the Porsche 911 – and the European GT, which is a reimagining of the Jaguar XK, have both already been revealed. They will be joined in January 2025 by the European SL, a thoroughly reengineered and redesigned Porsche 356. All cars will be exclusively offered in the USA through O’Gara Coach and in the rest of the world directly through Thornley Kelham or its agent, LaSource.

O’Gara, established in 1976, has served Southern California for more than 45 years, with locations in Beverly Hills, La Jolla, Westlake Village, CA and a new location in Las Vegas, NV. O’Gara is a house of automotive luxury, a factory-authorized dealer for Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, McLaren, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini, Automobili Pininfarina, Rimac, Pagani, Czinger and Gunther Werks. Through unparalleled performance, an impressive portfolio of brands, and specializing in bespoke luxury automotive O’Gara is respected as one of the largest and most prestigious dealer groups in the entire world.

Simon Thornley, co-founder of Thornley Kelham, said: “The cars that we are building here will reside in collections alongside some of the automotive world’s most famous brands, and their owners will be used to receiving a world-class ownership experience. We’re experts in producing bespoke cars but we turned to O’Gara Coach to help us deliver the kind of journey these buyers expect, and one that matches the painstaking craftsmanship and engineering that goes into each and every member of the European Collection. The team understands our vision perfectly and have believed in it ever since we presented them with the first sketches.”

The European Collection is a celebration of a golden era in European car design – a period that delivered some of the most beautiful and revered cars of all time. Taking everything that made them so special, and reimagining them for the expectations of today, they are faster, sharper, more reliable, and more practical, but just as beautiful and engaging as the car that inspired its creation.

The guiding philosophy for each car is: ‘The Design. The Detail. The Drive’. Reinterpreted and reimagined by Thornley Kelham’s team of designers and engineers using cutting-edge technology, and meticulously built by hand using the very same craftsmen and techniques that have won major concours awards throughout the world. The process of reimagining each car takes more than 6,000 hours, transforming examples that would be normally uneconomical to restore into cars that can be enjoyed for decades to come.

The European RS ‘blueprint’ car has already been delivered to its owner, officially known as Car Zero, and the first production model of just 15 examples is being finalised for delivery to O’Gara Coach. The first European GT is also destined to be delivered to O’Gara in the next few weeks, but first both will be on display at the Las Vegas Wynn Concours as a part of the O’Gara Coach display from 1-3 November.

Thornley Kelham has two remaining examples of the revolutionary Citroën SM available for complete restoration, at a fixed price and to your chosen specification. The Citroën SM was first launched as a collaboration between Citroën & Maserati, produced from 1970-1975, featuring a futurism-inspired design by Robert Opron, one of the most revered car designers of modern times.

The first example has already found a new owner and restoration is underway in our workshops. Orders for SM2 and SM3 are available subject to contract, and delivery is expected in fifteen to eighteen months’ time from receipt of initial deposit. This is a unique opportunity to own an SM restored to our standards and individually specified to your requirements. SM1 was agreed at a fixed price of £185,000, with SM2 and SM3 pricing available on application.

All Thornley Kelham restored Citroën SM models will be completely stripped down to bare metal and fully prepared before any necessary metal work is carried out, after which the shell and chassis will be sealed and painted. This is followed by a preparation and paint process involving up to sixteen stages including epoxy priming, flatting, priming, and the application of several coats of colour .

Our teams have many decades of experience and skill preparing and painting cars for international concours events, and each SM will be professionally prepared and finished to those standards. Each engine will be completely rebuilt, as will engine bay ancillaries, brakes, suspension and running gear.

Your car will also be finished to your exact specification and can be updated from original as you require, including the addition of modern conveniences such as Bluetooth connectivity.

This is a unique opportunity to own one of these beautiful, ground-breaking icons, restored and finished to Thornley Kelham’s renowned concours standards..

Read more here

In 1951 Lancia launched the coupe version of the Aurelia – the B20GT, which would ultimately be produced in 6 distinct series until 1958. It is, with a few attractive modifications, perfect for the Mille Miglia – and we just so happen to have one such car.

Only 500 examples of the first series were built and immediately found great success in major European rallies. The car we have for sale has  recently undergone major restoration work (not at Thornley Kelham), including bodywork, mechanical work, an interior retrim and repainted in its original amaranto colour. Post-works, the car was sent to us for further specialised work including front suspension, braking system overhaul, speedometer rebuild, improving tracking and wheel balancing. The car now drives very well indeed and is ready for its next competitive – or leisure – outing.

Overall this is a rare car, eligible for the Mille MIglia and many other major events, coming with attractive modifications for rallying already carried out. The earlier 2-litre B20GT cars are increasingly sought-after, and this example is ready to continue campaigning.