There’s an argument to be made that some restomodders are actually involved in the process of conservation. Although the U.K.’s Kingsley Re-Engineered is making classic Range Rovers better than they were from the factory, they argue that they’re keeping vehicles that would have otherwise been scrap on the road.

That’s because the company takes Range Rovers that had started rotting and re-engineers them to be quite modern. And boy is there are a lot of old Range Rovers rotting away.

“It’s a car where no consideration was given to corrosion,” says Damon Oorloff, Kingsley’s founder. “Everything was built so that when the wheels go ’round, they get mud into the corner. The mud holds the moisture, the moisture causes the corrosion. They rot really easily.”

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So the company takes out all of the rot and builds something that’s even better than the original. Although that might sound like heresy, Oorloff points out that the driving dynamics of classic Range Rovers might surprise some drivers.

“The shape’s been with us for so many years that we forget that this is a car that was designed in the late ’60s,” he says. “We look at the car as a ’90s car because the shape didn’t change much. The reality is that the drive is very much like a ’60s car. That massive long-throw gear lever, the very vague steering, the braking that doesn’t work, the asthmatic engine. You know, you’ve got something that looks super cool until you drive it.”

To fix that, the body on an old Range Rovers is removed, the frame restored and coated to prevent it from rotting. The original Rover V8 can be modified up to 310 hp (314 PS/231 kW) or replaced entirely with an LS V8, the suspension is tuned for better on-road handling, and a whole lot more is done besides. And the result?

“What it is is a classic Range Rover with modernity built-in,” says Carfection’s Alex Goy. “It’s not covered in chintz, it’s not in your face, it doesn’t shout about what it is. It’s simply cool and really quite good.”

With basic restorations starting at around £50,000 ($67,795 USD) and rising from there, though, it is intended for the well-heeled.