From restomods to revealing new metal: the top five cars we can’t wait to see at events in 2022
2022 is shaping up to be a fantastic year, both for automotive events and new car launches. We’ve already enjoyed the legendary Goodwood Members’ Meeting in April, the country-wide and charity-focused Drive-It Day, and bared witness to some iconic vehicles being reborn for the modern age. In this month’s blog, we discuss our top five picks for cars – both reborn classics and modern engineering marvels – that we’re looking forward to seeing at events this year.
Now, while we love classic and vintage cars here at Marc Brunel Recruitment, we must admit that we are very excited to see more of the new Lotus Emira. Having made its debut back in 2021, this is a sub-£60,000 (depending on the specification… N.B. we’ve been on the configurator and spec’d one to around £80,000…) sports car, which we feel evokes the true spirit of Lotus: lightweight, compact, and sporty. The Emira is also the very last internal combustion engine Lotus as it seems that the marque will be focusing on electric vehicles in the future. We expect to see more of this brilliant little sports car (especially the new GT4 variant) at most major automotive events in 2022, and hopefully traversing its way up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in late (23-26) June.
Returning to classic cars, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Kingsley Re-Engineered, as the Oxfordshire-based Range Rover Classic specialist made waves in the industry last year with its ULEZ Reborn Range Rover Classic, an improved and enhanced version of the iconic British 4×4. As customisable as cars can get, these revised and upgraded Range Rovers feature uprated Rover V8 engines, fully bespoke interiors and infotainment – all able to be specified to a customer’s every wish. Crucially, they are completely rust-free, since every Range Rover Classic goes through an in-depth corrosion removal process as part of an extensive restoration at the firm’s headquarters. If you were lucky enough to snag a ticket to Bicester Heritage in April for the Spring Scramble event, you might have spotted one on show. Here’s hoping more of these re-engineered 4x4s turn up for the upcoming Scramble event later this month (19 June).
When it comes to recreating sports cars of the past, there are dozens of specialists and bespoke vehicle constructors in the market. Take Eagle E-Types or the famous California-based Singer Vehicle Design for example. These companies are renowned for their expertly crafted reimaginations of the iconic Jaguar E-Type and Porsche 911 respectively, but in Autumn 2021, another organisation emerged; Radford Motors. Lead by none other than Jenson Button, Ant Anstead and Mark Stubbs, this revived brand launched the Type 62-2, a coachbuilt reinterpretation of the 1960s Lotus Type 62 race car. With a recognisably retro design, bespoke carbon fibre bodywork, supercharged V6 engine and a roster of driver-focused elements, the 62-2 is quite the machine. With customer deliveries set to start this year, we would love to see it at more events this year – maybe Salon Privé at Blenheim Palace in September?
On a similar note, the stunning Healey by Caton caught our eye back in April. The first icon to be reincarnated by Caton, the Healey by Caton is a mixture of traditional manufacturing techniques and cutting-edge Computer-Aided Design (CAD), and this reincarnated roadster made its official debut at the Royal Chelsea Hospital during the inaugural Salon Privé London event. Featuring a completely bespoke aluminium body, a tastefully authentic, yet updated interior and a top-of-the-line four-cylinder engine from Austin-Healey specialist JME Healeys, we’re hoping to see this stunning recreation at various events throughout the summer, starting with the first Savile Row Concours on 15 and 16 June, where this driver-focused car will take pride of place in front of the legendary tailor Scabal.
Finally, whilst not a restomod, nor a modern sports car, we wouldn’t be true enthusiasts if we didn’t mention the car which set quite the record earlier in May. One of just two ever made, the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé sold at auction for a staggering €135 million, with the car going to a private collector and in association with auctioneer RM Sotheby’s. This sets a new record for the most valuable car ever sold, by an incredible margin of €90 million, and we can’t see it being beaten anytime soon. Whether the record-setting 300 SLR will appear at any events this year remains to be seen, but we can’t be the only ones who would love to see it on display in its full glory.
If, like us, you’re a fan of bespoke vehicle constructors like some of the companies we’ve mentioned in this blog, and dream of working for one someday, do get in touch. Marc Brunel Recruitment has access to a large network of clients and firms spanning the automotive industry, and we have recently updated our website with a range of roles from an electric vehicle firm based at the famous Silverstone circuit. Visit our website’s Candidates page for more information at www.marcbrunel.com/candidates.
– Akash Cheeda
