Our story. 

 

September 1967. Two brothers with Jaguar in their hearts, craftsmanship in their hands and the world at their feet embarked upon a voyage of discovery. Peter and Keith Thornton both served formal apprenticeships at Jaguar Cars Ltd, before starting the P&K Thornton Restorations business, and more than half a century later, their Jaguar journey has led them here. Since 1967, Peter and Keith have owned, restored, serviced, repaired and driven an incredible range and volume of Jaguars gaining wide experience and expertise.

Starting from humble beginning in their home garage, Peter and Keith moved the business to larger premises during the early 1970s. From what had previously been a petrol station with buildings, they were able to create a bigger workshop where they could accomodate up to 12 cars and also a bodyshop. Here they enjoyed steady growth and a full order book, however, with an increasingly successful business on their hands, they made a second move to new premises near Colwick in 1982.

During this period at Colwick, Peter and Keith continued to enjoy their flourishing family partnership, which by now, had attracted an enviable international reputation as well as a highly skilled team of technicians and apprentices. From simple vehicle services, to full nut-and-bolt restorations of pre-1975 Jaguars, Peter and Keith had united both skill and spirit in the pursuit of perfection.

With the 30th anniversary of the business, came a further change of premises during the late1990s to their present location in the stunning rural location of Lamley, Nottinghamshire. It was around this time that the business consolidated its continuous record of all vehicles worked on, resulting in an extensive and unparalleled archive of technical information, specifications and reference images used on their restorations today.

As Peter and Keith looked toward semi-retirement, they teamed up with Ciprian Nistorica. A specialist in project management, classic car maintenance and restoration, Ciprian came on board in 2018 with a wealth of automotive experience and novel ideas to match the company’s ambitions.

With a long history of racing classic Alfa Romeos, Ciprian saw an opportunity to develop the racing portfolio and created P&K Thornton’s sister business Alficina, a dedicated Alfa Romeo specialist company, for the true enthusiasts of the Biscione brand.

We invite you to contact us about your own classic machine - from a simple service, to a full nut and bolt restoration, we would be delighted to hear from you.

 

Our testimonials.

 

“Thank you for your efforts on the car and as always it's a pleasure dealing with you.”

- Charlie

“The car looks magnificent and has been much admired - it should attract a lot of attention on it's 2015 XK Club outings! Many thanks for bringing this project to a successful conclusion - your attention to detail has made all the difference.”

- John

Thank you to you and all the engineers that worked on JPM....and for the safe return today. Please pass on my thanks and appreciation. My Father took the car for a ‘spin’...and on return had a big smile on his face....!

- James