Highlights
We have entered our thirty-sixth year restoring classic cars for collectors and enthusiasts worldwide. HOW TIME FLIES, with over 400 complete restorations, here are just some of the highlights from over 35 years in professional restoration.
Mercedes-Benz
1934 Mercedes-Benz 380 Cabriolet A
One of only 16 cars built with this body style, it was a sure entry to the Pebble Beach Concours in California. It was also the 1934 Geneva Motor Show car, adding to its provenance. The dismantled project arrived from Poland through the infamous Iron Curtain in the late 80s and ended up in Belgium. We began restoration in 1995, completing it ten years later to end up on the podium at Pebble. Talk about the impossible dream.
1952 Mercedes-Benz W194 re-creation
A German collector in Arizona asked us to find one of these pre-Gullwing Gullwings. Daimler-Benz had built ten cars for the 1952 racing season. They are not ever for sale. So we built him one, from blueprints and endless research. It took four years and lots of US dollars. But in 2011 it was ready for the 50th anniversary of the Gullwing Group of North America. We flew the car to San Francisco – and stole the show.
1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Coupe
This Gullwing arrived restored in France. It was that bad, we were asked to start again.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Coupe
One of the first gullwings to ever come to Australia a 16 year old boy saw this very car on the cover of Cars today in the early 60's. Decades later he bought the car and sent it to us for full restoration.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Coupe
This was the very first of less than ten Gullwings to come to Australia. It had been converted to RHD in Sydney in the late 50s. We restored the now tired Super Car and returned it to the original LHD. This was just one of thirteen 300SLs restored by Sleeping Beauties to date.
1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
This car had been restored in the US and we were asked to do a rudge wheel conversion. Sounds easy, but we had to machine hubs, wheel centers, and more.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
This was the 3rd job in the workshop in 1988, Sleeping Beauties founder Wolf Grodd's personal 300SL Gullwing. Very original car from California but tired and needing concourse restoration.
1963 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster
After more than three decades of ownership, this rare disc brake model, one of the last Roadsters built, needed a tidy-up. But the owner wanted “showroom”.
1960 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster
Restored for the Mercedes-Benz Classic Centre in Germany. This car arrived in a sad state all dismantled from Japan. Restoring this car for the factory was very challenging. No pressure.
1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster
This Roadster was first owned by the ambassador for Thailand stationed in Sydney the car was converted to right and drive and ended up in Brisbane owned by Wolf Grodd in the 70's. The car was later sold to an owner at the Gold Coast and decades later returned to Sleeping Beauties for a full restoration.
1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster
The container arrived from the US and was opened at the Mercedes-Benz club concourse. All 300SLs are built LHD, but this one was to be restored for a collector in Hong Kong. So we had to convert it. Sounds easy? After completion it won several awards. It is now back in Australia, still RHD.
1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster
The container arrived from the US and was opened at the Mercedes-Benz club concourse. All 300SLs are built LHD, but this one was to be restored for a collector in Hong Kong. So we had to convert it. Sounds easy? After completion it won several awards. It is now back in Australia, still RHD.
1958 Mercedes-Benz 220S
Our goal was to restore a car for the famous Mercedes-Benz museum in Germany. A personal visit to the Classic Center resulted in us receiving this sad cabriolet. We lost money on this project but the promotional value was priceless. We did such a good job the Classic Center sent us a 300SL Roadster to restore.
1954 Mercedes-Benz 300S Roadster
Originally owned by the Peron family of Argentina, this very original car came to us from San Diego, California, to be restored. It won endless awards and trophies locally, then six years later back home, the prestigious Newport Beach Concours, Best of Show.
1958 Mercedes-Benz 300d Cabriolet D
A shed in Far North Queensland had collapsed and crushed the folding roof. The car was rescued and we restored it to win
the MB Club concours in 2006. It is now winning awards in the UK.
1963 Mercedes-Benz 190SL
This was the final year of the SL. The owner found a good original car, but he wanted the best in the country. And we may just have delivered that.
1956 Mercedes-Benz 190SL
A cheap import from the US, RHD. Badly rusted it was a challenge to build an award-winning SL. But we finally did and the lady owner was happy. Not ever for sale, she said.
1957 Mercedes-Benz 190SL
This car had been dismantled and arrived complete, not so. It never is. The owner wanted showroom and we delivered. This black beauty won gold at Motorclassica in 2019.
1967 Mercedes-Benz 250SL
This classic “Pagoda” was a rare straight forward restoration. The wife chose the colour Arabian Grey with red leather. She got this one right.
1937 Mercedes-Benz 290 Pullman
This was the German Embassy car in London, it’s RHD. After the war it ended up in Hong Kong and the owner sent it to Brisbane for a full restoration. It never returned and now resides in a Cairns collection.
Italian
1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4
A call from down south “I have had an accident with my Ferrari”. We replied, sorry, we don’t do accident repairs. “It’s the only RHD all-aluminium quad cam ever built”. Yes Sir, and we gave him our address in Brisbane.
1971 Ferrari Daytona
Only needing a paint job, but it is never just that. The finished car went into a container and left for the US, we never had a chance to show off our work.
1954 Lancia Aurelia B20
We discovered this original GT decades ago in a southern wrecking yard. The owner was in no hurry and we delivered the completed car 21 years later. A birthday present to the daughter who also shared the name Aurelia.
French
1925 Lorraine-Dietrich B3-6
This model won the LeMans races in 1925 and 1926, beating the Bentleys. Starting with a rather incomplete car, we restored this one to win best Vintage car in 2019 and 2022.
1972 Citroen SM
This looked rather conventional on arrival. Not so, the SM was designed in collaboration with partner Maserati. The V8 was reduced to a V6, bolted to an automatic in front of the engine. The air suspension added endless plumbing under the bonnet, this was no easy restoration. But what a stunning car at the finish.
British
1950 Allard J1
This was Sydney Allard’s personal rally car, number 7. The Perth owner sent it to us for a Pebble Beach restoration. It won an award in 2011.
1913 Vulcan 3L 20/25HP Tourer
A very rare English Veteran, arriving dramatically incomplete. Three years later winning gold at the 2013 Motorclassica. Then 100 years old and brand new again.
1935 Jaguar SS1
A Japanese collector bought a restoration project in Sydney with the ambition to show it at Pebble Beach. After a failed attempt by a southern restorer the car came to us and we started again. To even get an entry at California's Pebble Beach concourse the car has to be perfect. We succeeded with a podium finish receiving the prestigious automobile quarterly history award.
1974 Jaguar XK E V12
The sensational E Type was first released in 1961, this V12 is the final version. And the fastest.
1967 Jaguar XK E
One of the many Jaguar E Types we restored over the many years at Sleeping Beauties.
American
Moffat Mustang
A collector requested and exact copy of this famous Allan Moffat Trans Am Mustang. We were more than happy to oblige.
Ford GT40
This is a real one! We were first asked to restore it in Gulf colours until the owner discovered it was never a race car but a road car in germany. So we did it again.
Others
1949 Tatra T87
This rare rear-engine V8 from Czechoslovakia came to us from Canada. Restoration had been started, or so it said. A challenging job on an unknown car, but the result was spectacular.
Beechey Racing Holden Monaro HK
This is the famous Norm Beechey racecar it was rescued for a full restoration to original.