Classic car restorer who's worked on a huge range of exotic and rare cars shares the one he'd loved to have kept for himself

Ian Tyrrell is one of the world’s leading exotic car experts and a classic car restorer, with an incredible workshop that performs some of the finest restorations in the world on cars from Lamborghini, Ferrari, and many others.

Tyrrell has also set up his own YouTube channel in his workshop’s name, Tyrrell’s Classic Workshop, taking inspiration from fellow enthusiast and former automotive journalist Harry Metcalfe of Harry’s Garage.

Supercar Blondie sat down with Ian to discuss his workshop and some of the cars he has restored during that time.

Plus, he also talked to us about what the future he saw for classic cars with the rise of EVs, as well as which car he’s never worked on, that he would love to.

How Tyrrell’s Classic Workshop was started

When we asked Ian Tyrrell about when he realized that he wanted to restore classic cars, his answer no doubt rang true for many car enthusiasts.

He said, “That’s easy – car was apparently the first word I said, and it went downhill from there!

“I originally wanted to be a car designer, but my Dad bought me a Mini when I was 16, and I got the bug when I started working on it.”

Tyrrell studied as a mechanic at a Rolls-Royce and Bentley service centre when he was 19.

After just two years, he decided the time was right to go it alone.

So he set up his own company, Tyrrell Engineering, which eventually morphed into the incredible business he has today.

Tyrrell is now recognized as one of the finest restorers of exotic and classic cars in the world.

Some remarkable cars have passed through the workshop

When we asked Tyrrell about some of his restoration highlights, there were some truly remarkable cars.

He said, “Cars such as THE Prince of Wales Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante, presented to Charles in 1987.”

Now King Charles III, Tyrrell, and his team performed a full engine rebuild on the British classic.

And then he surprised us with an even more prestigious project:

“Field Marshal Montgomery’s Rolls-Royce Phantom 111 V12 that he was driven in with Churchill and Eisenhower while planning D-Day.”

One other highlight was a car that Tyrrell actually discovered.

This was, he said, “The discovery and restoration of the Ferrari 250GT that was owned by Ferruccio Lamborghini; this was the car he had clutch trouble with that caused him to start manufacturing his own cars.”

A particular speciality of Tyrrell’s is his ability to tune engines just by ear.

Indeed, his website shows him doing just that on a truly special car.

This was the 1968 Lamborghini Miura used in the opening sequence of the original 1969 The Italian Job film.

There’s surely only a handful of people in the world able to complete that particular project.

Click the star icon next to supercarblondie.com in Google Search to stay ahead of the curve on the latest and greatest supercars, hypercars, and ground-breaking technology

Sometimes it’s hard to let a car go

We also asked Ian Tyrrell which car or cars he’d have loved to have kept forever.

His answer was emphatic, as it was “The Italian Job Lamborghini Miura!”

Having spent so much time restoring this supercar and as well as discovering it, it’s an answer that makes perfect sense.

Plus, as far as movie cars go, is there anything more iconic?

The Miura may have only appeared briefly at the start of the film, but it’s cemented itself in the minds of automotive fans ever since.

Tyrell was also lucky enough to interview the Miura’s designer, Marcello Gandini, at his home overlooking the hills of Turin.

Plus, Tyrrell and friend blues guitarist and composer Steve Wright recorded their own version of the song linked to the car.

That is, of course, On Days Like These.

Not every car is a dream restoration for a classic car restorer

Of course, there will be some cars that have been a nightmare for Tyrrell and his team, and we asked him about those, too.

He said, “The aforementioned Ferruccio Lamborghini Ferrari 250GT – it was a nightmare trying to find missing parts for it.”

But his persistence with the car certainly paid off, with another truly stunning restoration.

Clearly, Tyrell has seen a steady flow of classics into his workshop, but something that could affect the business is the advance of EVs.

So we asked him where he saw the classic car restoration market going.

We also asked, as a classic car restorer, if he was worried about it.

Tyrrell said, “Classic Cars are so evocative and iconic – look at how many TV adverts have a classic car in them, for example.

“The restoration business will be around for a long time to come – and don’t forget, someone still has to look after them!”

The ultimate classic car garage for Ian Tyrrell

Many of us automotive enthusiasts will have a dream garage of our own, and Tyrrell is no exception.

There are five cars he picked for his dream garage, and he chose them for these reasons.

“The Ferrari Daytona – killer looks and driving experience.

“Then the Lamborghini Miura – the first Supercar, and still amazing to drive and look at.

“Then it’s the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost – the car that gave Rolls-Royce the title ‘best car in the world.’

“[And then] the 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham, which is ultimate Americana, and the 1977 Panther 6, which is both crazy and outrageous.”

The one car this classic car restorer would love to work on

Finally, we asked Tyrell which car he would love to restore, but hasn’t had a chance to yet.

“Easy. The Bugatti EB110 with its four turbos.”

The EB110 was designed in the 1980s and introduced in the 1990s, and is still seen as one of the world’s greatest supercars.

It had a huge 3.5-liter B.110.11 quad-turbocharged V12 engine under the hood, leading the original GT spec to produce 553hp, while the Super Sport version made 603hp.

Bugatti made just 139 examples, and it was the only car made during the Romano Artioli era of the company.

Perhaps one day, Tyrrell will finally get his hands on this quad-turbocharged masterpiece.

Hopefully, we will have more stories from him in the near future.

In the meantime, a big thank you to Ian Tyrrell for giving us a glimpse into his business and what it’s like to be a classic car restorer.

Tyrrell’s Classic Workshop is well worth checking out on YouTube.

Plus, Ian has plenty more exciting content on the way during 2026.