CATON HEALEY

Continuation specialist introduces restomod brand with upgraded 1953 roadster

- MATT PRIOR

TESTED 6.6.22, WARWICKSHIRE ON SALE NOW

TESTER'S NOTE I drove past a filthy construction site and expected the side of the car to get caked in dirt, but it didn't. Not all tyres do what modern ones do. MP

I always thought an Austin-Healey was quite a big, muscular classic car. But seeing this restomod by engineering firm Envisage's new brand Caton in the wild for the first time, I'm reminded that old cars are delicately small, even if they are muscular.

And this one is beautifully finished. One of Envisage's strong points is creating body panels for continuation models, like Jaguar's XKSS and D-Type, costing hundreds of thousands - and the team has done a similarly fine job here. They have cleaned up the original (19531955) Austin-Healey 100/4 BN1 look, proportionally very similar but with a few twists, like to the grille and side vents, and removing exterior handles.

Inside, the trim and finish are lovely too. Customers of the 25 cars that Caton intends to work on will be given a wide degree of customisation, but all will have a roomier interior than originally, owing to a slight redesign of the rear cabin (there's no spare wheel or hood to worry about) and a smaller gearbox housing.