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The rarer and more original a classic car is, the more valuable it is. Many things can be rebuilt, but engines are often the end of the line. Not for Thorsten Ihlo. He specializes in carburetors.Text: EVA EUSTERHUS

Thorsten Ihlo, carburetor restoration: In a basement room in the north-east of the city, Thorsten Ihlo stands bent over his workbench in the light of a neon lamp. If he wasn't wearing the kind of overalls you see on mechanics, you'd think he was a master watchmaker. His workplace looks so neat and sterilely clean. On the right, various metal parts are arranged in numbered heaps on special cloths. Screws, eyelets, plates, caps, springs. At the front left of the workbench are two chunky housings, the size of an egg carton.

It is the dismantled carburetor of a Bentley from the 1930s. The proud age is nothing special for the expert. The reason why he takes particular care with this specimen is that there is only one of its kind in the world. It comes from a one-off production that was built for the then head of the factory. “For me, that means I only have this one chance. If I do something wrong, the piece is ruined forever,” says Thorsten Ihlo.

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A British classic car workshop approached the Hamburg native with the rare specimen. The collector scene, which is now getting its treasures ready for their first outing at the start of the season, is small, and Thorsten Ihlo is known as a specialist for particularly difficult cases. He and his workshop specialize in carburetors. These are the housings in which the fuel mixture is produced, which then enters the engine's combustion chamber. Their era only lives on in old vehicles, as they have long since been replaced by the injection engine as the most common method. Collector's items have long been regarded as a stable investment. Because originality and rarity value are the currency of these driving investments, owners spare neither expense nor effort to maintain the original condition as far as possible. The major car manufacturers now have their own workshops that specialize in rebuilding historic vehicles. However, overhauling old engines is a science in itself.

And so the majority of the jobs that Thorsten Ihlo handles come from specialist workshops that rely on his expertise. In addition to him, there are a few mechanics in Hamburg who, like him, only refurbish carburetors. But when it comes to particularly old and rare specimens, people are referred to him.

The 49-year-old blocks out questions about his customers. Just this much: they come from all over Germany and Europe, but many also come from the USA and Japan. And he treats everyone the same, he says. Whether owners of large vehicle collections or private individuals with an average budget - they all appreciate his work. He doesn't have any employees; he charges according to working hours and material costs. According to the restorer, he doesn't get rich from the job. “Nevertheless, I see this work as a privilege. I know it sounds trite, but I've turned my hobby into a profession.”

The rarer and more original a classic car is, the more valuable it is. Many things can be rebuilt, but engines are often the end of the line. Not for Thorsten Ihlo. He specializes in carburetors.

He has been working intensively with carburetors for 26 years, focusing on old cars and motorcycles. In 2014, the Bremen native, who had previously earned his living as a communication designer, changed tack and set up his workshop. “You're crazy,” many people said at first. Today, the lead time for new orders is four months.

The vehicles he is currently working on will not be running until the 2021 season at the earliest. The jobs vary in complexity. Some are completed in a few hours and for a few hundred euros, others take several weeks and cost 2500 euros and more. Some carburetors are part of a complete restoration that costs in the seven-figure range.

Despite its important function, the carburetor often receives little attention. The beauty of an old bodywork inspires many, but the aesthetics of the rather bulky carburetor housing are more difficult to convey. Wrongly so, says Thorsten Ihlo. For him, the carburetor is not just any old part, it is the heart of the engine. “No matter how well preserved a vehicle is, if the carburettor doesn't work, everything else is invalid.” Of course, today's technology is superior to the old mechanics, but it doesn't get under your skin as much, he says. “An old carburetor like that stinks, it smokes, coughs and sometimes chokes. You can feel, hear and smell it.”

This also applies to the one that is nearing completion and is standing on another work surface in the workshop. It is not shiny, its casing is dull. It has a patina and that is how the customer wants it to stay. It is the carburetor of a Porsche 914/6, built in 1970, a garage find that is very rare. “It's been standing for over 20 years and has only run very little.”

However, this has left its mark - in mechanic's jargon, this is referred to as “damage from use”. This refers to gumming caused by the hardening of fuel residues. This is a classic car disease that particularly affects models that are refueled with today's standard fuels. They contain ethanol, which leaves more residue in the engine than purer mixtures that were used in the past. As a rule, these heavy deposits can be cleaned, but Thorsten Ihlo cannot always save everything. “The basic substance, the material, must be in good condition, otherwise I can't do anything.”

If the carburetor housing has not been damaged by moisture or even salt deposits - caused by sea air, for example - or an accident, the restorer first disassembles it into individual parts and cleans them using special techniques. He does not want to reveal exactly what these are and what tools he uses. “That's my knowledge, and I keep it to myself.” Once everything has been cleaned, the most important step follows: analyzing the substance. The further processing of the individual components depends on this; it determines whether cutting machines such as milling machines and lathes are used or whether soldering or laser welding is required.

In the case of the Porsche carburetor, which looks inconspicuous from the outside, everything on the inside has been redone. The throttle valves, the mechanics, the connecting pieces, the nozzles and threads for adjusting the fuel quantity. A few brass screws gleam and stand out against the otherwise matt steel. Thorsten Ihlo manufactures smaller wear parts himself if he does not have them in his stock. They are stored in narrow workbench drawers, sorted by manufacturer brand. In addition to original spare parts, he uses historical factory documents and operating instructions as well as parts lists to help him with his work. He bought some of the items in his workshop for a few cents, others for a lot of money at auction or received them as gifts from fellow mechanic friends or former factory managers.

Does he have a tip for classic car owners? Yes, he does. “Drive it as often as you can. These historic vehicles are made to run.” Otherwise it will get complicated sooner or later.

Ihlo.carburetor.com Carburetor restoration from the expert: Thorsten Ihlo. Precision for historic vehicles. Individual solutions for collectors and specialist workshops.