Retroneering is run by Sam, an automotive engineer based in Sweden. He holds a degree in Automotive Engineering from HAN University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands — specializing in combustion engines, powertrains, and structural design — and is completing a Master's in Sustainable Energy Engineering at Lund University (LTH) in Sweden.
Sam's background spans classic car restoration, competition vehicle preparation, and high-performance engineering. He has built FIA-approved roll cages and equal-length exhaust headers, tuned engines and programmed standalone ECUs, and prepared cars for rally endurance racing in the Sahara desert. He has also competed in Formula Student, the world's largest engineering competition, where the same rigorous measurement, simulation, and fabrication workflow was refined.
Beyond CAD, Sam has hands-on experience with welding, lathing, milling, laser and waterjet cutting, vacuum thermoforming, 3D printing, aluminum sand casting, fiberglass and carbon composite molding, and rubber injection molding. That manufacturing background means every design is validated against the process that will produce it — tolerances respect the machine, draft angles respect the mold, and wall thickness accounts for the casting process. Because a drawing that ignores how a part will actually be made is just a pretty picture.
Before founding Retroneering, Sam worked for a classic car parts reseller, redesigning out-of-production components at scale — from first prototype to full production runs. That meant direct manufacturer liaison, tooling negotiations, and learning which tolerances on a drawing actually affect cost and fit.
Modern manufacturing economics do not favor low-volume, irregular metal shapes from forty years ago. Tooling gets scrapped, drawings get lost, and the engineers who knew why that rib was there have retired. What remains is a growing gap between the cars people want to keep and the parts needed to keep them moving.
Retroneering exists to close that gap — one component at a time, with the same precision standards that built the originals, documented well enough that the work never has to be done twice.
Primary CAD and simulation platforms include SolidWorks, Autodesk, and Siemens NX. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and thermal analysis is handled through ANSYS and OpenFOAM. Furthermore, MATLAB supports data processing and custom algorithm development such as the unwarp script developed to correct scanner and lens distortion automatically — ideal for remote capture, allowing customers to produce precision 2D profile data using standard flatbed or phone-scanner equipment.
Drawings are delivered in whatever format your machinist prefers — PDF, DWG, STEP, or native CAD files with full feature trees.
Most projects start with an email and a few photos. From there, we determine whether the part can be captured remotely, shipped for precision measurement, or scanned on-site. Turnaround ranges from two weeks for simple brackets to eight weeks for complex castings or assemblies requiring simulation.
Parts engineered by Retroneering have shipped to owners and workshops in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, and Cyprus. Retroneering provides its services throughout Europe. Current hubs are in Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy.
