How to own a 'brand new' classic car from a Coventry firm - but there's big catch

If you are in the market for a classic car, there’s a wealth of different options to go for. You can rifle through classifieds for hours, finding all manner of vehicles in varying conditions at varying budgets.

Some command incredible prices. A fully restored Aston Martin DB5 can command around £650,000 on the used market.

The most expensive ever was a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenlaut Coupe. Only one of two made, it last sold at auction for £138m.

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However, if the notion of owning a 50 year old car is a bit daunting, you can buy a brand new classic car. Jaguar have their continuation series, where they re-started limited production of their C-Type, D-Type, and Lightweight E-Type.

Aston Martin also restarted limited production of their Aston Martin DB4 Zagato and Bentley’s coachbuilding arm Mulliner’s have remade versions of the now century-old Blower Bentleys.

However, one company still making continuation cars is Alvis and they make them bespoke to your taste. The company is one of the oldest British car makers still going and they have continually operated in the Coventry area since 1919.

If you have around £325,000 burning a hole in your pocket, you can go to them and they will create for you one of five models. These cars are all classic cars made brand new in the 21st century.

Thanks to Alvis’ early innovations, they’re not quite as spartan as some classics from years gone by. Alvis’ early use of synchromesh gearboxes means no double de-clutching and the cars do come with power steering.

Yet the interior trim, paint, and other aesthetic details can be made to the customer’s specific tastes. On top of that, it’s all done in-house.

How do they get around all the modern restrictions that would stop a classic car being put into mass production? After all, modern regulations mandate airbags, traction control, crumple zones, and rounded edges on the front to enhance pedestrian safety.

They do this through IVA - Individual Vehicle Assessment. Basically, if you make under 300 cars per year, you don’t have to play by the same rules as a standard registration process. The result is a car that looks like it dates back to the 1930s but has a modern licence plate on it.

So if you’ve always wanted a classic car but are unsure about owning a piece of machinery that’s likely several decades older than you, continuation cars are the answer - so long as you’re willing to pay a lot for the privilege.