Nigeria might not be well known for car restorations, but the Ancient Broom shop is trying to save these rare African classics
When you think of classic Mercedes-Benz and Porsche cars being restored, you’d picture them in the pristine garages of Europe or America, right? In this amazing video you’ll see that the fascination and ambition to return classic cars to life is global, even in less obvious countries such as Nigeria.
The video opens with a beautifully cinematic shot of an original Porsche 911, Mercedes-Benz SL, and Dodge Charger, in various states of restoration, roaming the streets. You might be surprised to know that these sorts of vehicles exist in West Africa, considering the poverty line is around 33%, but they are there. However, to many people these cars are far easier to turn into scrap-metal than restore and try to sell them — hence their ever dwindling numbers.
A group of Nigerian nationals are striving to preserve these classic cars as living pieces of history, but also to highlight that the country has the complex skillsets required to restore these old vehicles. The narrator states ‘What really took it from being a random hobby to a passion for me is that, I realised there are just certain niche things that are part of hour history that people don’t capture’. He fears that with the advent of electric cars, this classic history will be erased in Nigeria if nobody protects it.
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Ancient Broom restorations strives to bring these cars back to life and rescue them from scrap dealers.
"People come a butcher these cars for metal and ultimately, the value of that metal might be a few hundred thousand [Naira], but from the perspective of preserving some type of motorcar history in this country, I believe those cars are worth more."
The restoration shop has been collecting old cars over the past year and currently has several projects in progress. "I want people to see this and be like 'oh my god, this was done in Nigeria.'"
We think this is a truly worthy cause where the rare classics of Africa get a fair chance of new life thanks to the skilful enthusiasts at Ancient Broom.
