What makes one restoration cost more than another?

Structure. Corrosion in the chassis and structural areas of the car is the expensive work, because it has to be cut out and replaced properly rather than covered. Mechanical work on a maintained Jaguar or Mercedes is usually far more predictable.

Are older Jaguars and Mercedes mechanically reliable?

If they have been maintained, generally yes. Both were engineered to a high standard and the mechanical side tends to be robust and well understood. Rust protection is where cars of this era were weakest.

Can body rust be repaired affordably?

Often, yes. Corrosion in body panels is a different proposition to corrosion in the structure, and depending on its extent it can usually be put right within a sensible budget.

Is a main dealer worth using for a classic?

Usually not. Main dealer labour is often close to double an independent, and on a car built in the eighties that premium buys very little. A specialist who works on the model regularly is normally both cheaper and more useful.

How much contingency should I allow on bodywork?

Around thirty percent. An estimate is made on what can be seen, and stripping a car to bare metal is the point at which hidden corrosion is found.

What a classic car restoration actually costs

There is no single answer to what a restoration costs, and anyone offering one without seeing the car is guessing. What can be said usefully is which factors decide the number, because they are consistent.

Mechanical condition is rarely the problem

A maintained Jaguar or Mercedes of this era is usually mechanically sound. Both manufacturers engineered these cars properly, the components are well understood, and specialists have been working on them for decades. Where a car has a continuous service history, the mechanical side of a restoration is generally the predictable part of the budget.

That is worth saying plainly, because buyers often worry about the engine when they should be worrying about the body.

Structure is what costs money

The expensive work is corrosion, and specifically corrosion in the structure of the car.

Anywhere rust has reached the chassis or a structural member, the repair is significant. It has to be cut out and replaced properly, by someone who knows what they are doing, and it cannot be shortcut without storing up a much larger problem for whoever owns the car next. This is the single biggest variable in any restoration quote, and it is the one that separates a manageable project from an open ended one.

Body rust is a different question

Corrosion in body panels is not the same thing. It is still work, and it is still cost, but it is bounded in a way structural repair often is not. Depending on how far it has gone, panel corrosion can usually be put right within a reasonable budget.

The distinction matters when you are assessing a car. Surface rust on a wing and rust in a sill are not comparable problems, even though both get described as “some rust” in an advert.

What the labour actually costs

Where the work is done changes the bill more than most people expect. Broadly there are three tiers in the UK, and the gap between the outer two is large.

Who does the work	Typical labour rate
Independent garage	£60 to £120 per hour
Classic specialist	£80 to £150 per hour
Main dealer	£120 to £200 per hour, and higher for premium marques

Three things to read alongside that table.

These are South East rates. They reflect what is quoted around Surrey and the Home Counties, which is the most expensive part of the country for labour. Elsewhere in the UK you should expect lower, in some regions considerably so.

A main dealer is not simply better. On like for like work, main dealer labour is often close to double an independent. For a modern car under warranty that premium buys brand diagnostic equipment you cannot get elsewhere. On a car built in the eighties, a specialist who works on the model every week is usually both cheaper and more useful.

The middle tier is where classics belong. A reputable specialist costs more per hour than a general independent and is worth it, because familiarity with the model saves hours that a generalist spends learning the car.

Bodywork and paint

The largest single line on most restorations. A bare metal respray on a classic generally runs from around £6,000 to well beyond £15,000, driven by preparation rather than by paint. Stripping to bare metal, epoxy priming, seam sealing and booth time are all hours, and hours are the cost.

Budget a contingency of around thirty percent on any bodywork estimate. Not because estimates are dishonest, but because stripping a car to bare metal is the moment hidden corrosion is found. An estimate is made on what can be seen.

Figures here reflect rates quoted in the South East as at September 2026 and exclude VAT unless a quote says otherwise. Always work from a written quote on your own car.

What to establish before you commit

Get the car on a ramp and establish the condition of the structure before anything else. Everything else in a restoration can be estimated with reasonable confidence. Structural corrosion is the part that turns a known cost into an unknown one, and it is the part you cannot assess from photographs.

That is also why we publish underside photographs of every car we sell.