Visitors to the Goodwood Revival were able to see of one of just 12 rare Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3 sports cars that had been restored to its former glory; the restoration included a number of modern manufacturing techniques, including additive manufacturing (AM).

KW Heritage, the division of KW Special Projects (KWSP) (www.kwspecialprojects.com) that provides modern engineering and manufacturing solutions to the ‘heritage market’, displayed the vehicle during Goodwood’s 20th-anniversary weekend earlier this month.

The Alfa Romeo Tipo achieved major success in 1971 at races in Buenos Aires, Sebring and Brands Hatch; it even starred in the Steve McQueen film Le Mans.

When the car’s front engine cover suffered from deterioration, causing ignition problems, the options for a replacement cover were limited, with parts long since obsolete.

However, using modern engineering methods that included 3-D scanning and CAD, KWSP was able to create a fully engineered design of the engine cover and 3-D print a new one — all in a matter of days — thereby showing how quickly the digital remanufacturing process can make obsolete parts for historic and classic vehicles.

At Goodwood, KW Heritage gave live demonstrations of its 3-D scanning capability every few hours during the festival. Edward Smith, its head of heritage engineering, said: “Obsolescence is a major issue in the classic- and historic-vehicle market, but modern engineering techniques offer a timely and effective solution.

"At KW Heritage, we provide modern engineering and manufacturing solutions to the heritage market, from components through to full vehicles.

"By working closely with teams, restorers, collectors and vehicle owners, we are helping enthusiasts to strike the perfect balance between old and new, with modern engineering techniques keeping the cars of yesteryear on the road.”