The specialist: P&K Thornton Restorations

By Simon Hucknall

| 13 Jun 2025

Classic & Sports Car – The specialist: P&K Thornton Restorations

If you own a classic Jaguar, you will likely know the name P&K Thornton.

Established by brothers and former Browns Lane apprentices Peter and Keith Thornton in 1967, the firm established an enviable reputation as one of the foremost classic Jaguar specialists.

When the Thorntons retired in 2018, car restorer and historic racer Ciprian Nistorica stepped in.

He bought the name (and goodwill), then set about rebuilding the firm’s customer base.

Ciprian Nistorica acquired Jaguar specialist P&K from the Thornton brothers in 2018 and has expanded its range of skills since then

The Nottinghamshire specialist is now thriving once again, with 14 employees and a broader repertoire of services, including race preparation, restomod design and engineering, as well as the core service, repair and restoration work.

P&K has been synonymous with Jaguar E-types over the years.

Today it retains detailed records of more than 200 cars restored by the business, and this provides an invaluable reference for any new work undertaken.

Jaguar Mk2s have long been a P&K Thornton Restorations staple

This is helped, Ciprian tells us, by a plentiful supply of parts, due to the model’s value and attendant demand for restoration.

And while maintaining an E-type’s factory spec remains important, many customers opt for brake upgrades, the fitment of electronic ignition and cooling-system modifications – fixing known model bugbears.

Illustrating the scope of P&K’s work, Ciprian reels off some of the company’s most recent projects, including a C-type, various Mk2s, XK120s, 140s and 150s, and XJ-Ss, along with numerous E-types.

A Daimler Sovereign 4.2 at P&K Thornton Restorations for engine fine-tuning

Both generations of the XK8 (X100 and X150) are also covered, but the firm will work on almost any post-war Jaguar.

Of these, Ciprian reckons that the XJ-S is the most complex, especially its electrical system.

This is compounded by a deficit of quality parts, keeping the price of restorations relatively high.

While trimming and paintwork is carried out by trusted suppliers, one of P&K’s key in-house specialities is the Jaguar XK straight-six.

Dyno rollers hide under metal panels in P&K Thornton Restorations’ workshop

A state-of-the-art rolling road enables precision tuning of engines that have been fully rebuilt or modified for competition, supplemented by a huge selection of service parts, chokes, jets and needles for Weber, SU and Dell’Orto carburettors.

When we visited, a rather splendid-looking Daimler Sovereign 4.2 Coupé was undergoing fine tuning.

Ciprian’s passion for historic motorsport (he currently campaigns a 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super and runs a companion Alfa specialist next to P&K, called Alficina) has given the company a second string to its bow, with a race-preparation service available.

Jaguar E-type restorations are aided by P&K’s huge database of previous work

To promote this, Ciprian and racer Grant Williams competed with some success last season in a modified 1961 ‘flat-floor’ E-type, finishing first in class at the Spa Six Hours and the Royal Automobile Club Pall Mall Cup.

For this season, P&K has partnered with the Fast Lane Club to offer a full support package for classic Jaguar owners and guaranteed entry for 2025’s Mille Miglia.

Ciprian completes our visit with a tour of P&K’s restomod workshop, the flag-bearer for which is its 4tipo model.

He likens it to an Eagle E-type, and while purists may bemoan such a creation, it leaves photographer Jack and I slightly agog.

The name and ethos remain intact at P&K Thornton Restorations, which changed hands in 2018

Based on the Series 3 2+2 E-type V12, the 4tipo looks like a period racer, with its widened arches and D-type-style rims, but it is built purely for road use.

The body panels are 3D-rendered, then made in-house, with P&K’s coachbuilders working using an English wheel, panel bender and traditional body bucks.

The 4tipo’s V12 is fitted with an ECU, electronic ignition and fuel injection, along with P&K’s own cooling-system upgrades.

This combines with a fly-by-wire throttle, a high-ratio differential and a plethora of artfully disguised updated dials and in-car technology.

It’s an ideal showcase for the P&K team’s skills.

Images: Jack Harrison