It had been cared for and was running and
driving well, complete with a Harvey Bailey
handling kit. But Hillier pointed out that this
was a chance to incorporate in-depth improve-
ments only possible during total disassembly.
“As I was explaining this,” recalls Hillier,
“I could see that this guy cared and really wanted
something ‘right’ – but not a museum piece. He
wanted to use it, so it had to be as driveable and
refined as possible.” Hillier didn’t suggest a
‘restoration’ as such. But once you’ve dropped
the subframes, removed the engine, taken out
the interior and bare-metalled the body, there is
probably no other name for it: “To his credit,
Chris gave us the go-ahead. I was looking
forward to the job by then, because I knew
that we could do the car justice.”
First, the Corniche was stripped of its trim,
interior, glass, and front and rear suspension
subframes, complete with springs, height-
control valves and complex braking system.
With everything catalogued and photographed,
these units were repainted, re-piped, re-springed
and overhauled with new seals for bearings and
brake calipers, right down to details such as new
lock and adjusting nuts. Anything that couldn’t
be replaced with a new part was refurbished –
height-control rams, roll restrictors, solenoid
valves – and all the subframe mountings were
renewed and the driveshafts rebuilt. Hillier
rarely blows the firm’s trumpet, but his modest
claim that the car is “as shiny underneath as it
is on top” has to be pretty accurate. Although
remedial fabrication work was needed on the
sills and arches, the body was fairly solid.
An early decision was taken to get as much
refinement as possible back into the car, while
preserving its original look. On the other hand,
since it had already lost its Everflex roof, it didn’t
seem a liberty to repaint it a Ferrari silver grey
called Grigio Notte, deliciously combined with
a retrim in Hotspur Red leather: “The customer
was concerned about not keeping it strictly orig-
inal, but in the end I just pointed out that it was
his car and he could do what he liked.”
Hillier Hill uses two local bodyshops that do
Pebble Beach-standard paintwork, along with
a couple of different trusted trimmers and wood-
veneer people. “After 30 years you get to know
what you want and where to get it,” says Hillier,
who joined forces with Tony Hill in 1985 to form
their eponymous firm. Both men did their
apprenticeships in the service department of
the Rolls-Royce Hythe Road depot where the
Corniche was partly made.
So Hillier was clearly the right chap to inspect
the car mechanically and replace or refurbish
anything worn, as requested by the owner.
Removal of the 6.75-litre aluminium V8,
to detail the satin-black engine bay, broughtSeptember 2019 Classic & Sports Car 135Clockwise from above: ;
superb underbonnet finish;
elegant two-door; new
carpets fitted; hardened
liners forced a rebuild of
the 6.75-litre unit; V8 came
out to detail engine bayperhaps the only really unpleasant surprise of the
project: “Somebody had bunged up the telltale
holes in the sides of the block, which indicated
that they had been leaking because the liner seals
had hardened with age. Chris wasn’t thrilled, but
didn’t hesitate and agreed to an engine rebuild.”
All the external plated underbonnet compo-
nents were sent for specialist refinishing. Hillier
even had the labels that sit on the hydraulic
reservoir remanufactured.
Throughout the 18-month project, whenever
the customer had two choices – to do it right or
make an acceptable compromise – he always
chose the former: “He was great. It was nice
dealing with someone so hugely enthusiastic.
He even kept turning up with bits and pieces he
had found, which were mostly correct.”
While the body was away being prepared and
painted, work continued on the trim and elec-
trics. The chrome went to Derby Plating and
parts of the air-con received specialist attention,
but items such as the wiper and electric-window
motors were rebuilt in-house, with the wiring
replaced as required. There were only a few
niggles, mainly the rear ’screen – eventually
sourced from Pilkington via Flying Spares,
which also found a new set of the coveted
Corniche-only brushed stainless-steel hubcaps.
With the shell returned, the car started to
come together. Newly veneered wood sets,