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Part of the reason that these are far pricier than I was expecting, is to do with rectifying those old handling issues. XV takes an original car, like the Challenger in these pictures, and transforms it into something you'd want to own today. Because all of the assumptions made watching Seventies US cop shows are about to be confirmed. These old muscle cars are complete dogs to drive. As John points out, "The brakes are fine, but not if you're planning on stopping more than once."

So what XV does is basically re-engineer the entire car. That's what it takes to make this monster handle, stop and ride as well as a modern car. All the suspension is ripped out, the engine is replaced, the seats are changed, the brakes are swapped - even the chassis has two pieces of precision-cut metal welded underneath it to add strengthening. Torsional rigidity was not a strong point on these cars.

Don't assume this is all done on the hoof by XV. The suspension has been designed on a shaker rig, which generates a computer model of what the new set-up should be like. A lot of the suspension is aluminiumand purpose-built for these cars - they get race shocks and aluminium trailing arms. XV builds its own steering columns because it wants the ignition barrel to be on it, yet it also wants the column to adjust for rake. The original cars didn't come with that adjustment, and no-one now builds something suitable, so XV built its own.

And even though you've got a modern 6.1-litre Hemi under the hood, XV engineers a unique intake manifold which allows it to fit an original air filter. These look far better, allow the engine to produce more power, and, crucially, fit in with the whole retro thing much better. And keeping that retro vibe is what it's all about here - it's why people buy them. It's all clever stuff, with an attention to detail that would shame some low-volume car manufacturers here in Britain.

The crucial thing is that the looks, for the most part, remain exactly the same. The wheels have had to be changed, because the old 15-inch alloys won't fit the new disc brakes, but everything else about the styling remains.

To get an idea of what all these changes translate to on the road, XV were kind enough to let me drive an old, restored but unmodified Challenger, a TA model, which was meant to be the handling pack of its day. Clearly someone didn't drive a BMW from the same period before deciding that. In fact, John even let me have a go in his own unmodified Charger, the $200,000 one, with all original bodywork and 34,000 original miles. He kindly pointed all this out to me, just as we were about to pull out of the car park. Nervous? What do you reckon?