The Joy of the Restomod
March 24, 2021
There used to be three types of classic cars. Firstly, you had the original, unrestored survivors. Usually pampered with minimal miles, having spent most of their lives in a warm, dry garage. Then you had the restored cars. Resplendent in their newness, thanks to hours and hours of care, attention and refurbishment. And then, finally, you had the modified cars. The hot rods, the track cars, the customs. The Capri with the V8, the Morris Minor with Jag IRS. That kind of thing. And that was it. Or at least it was for a while.
As the years rolled on, the chasm between what was and what is widened. Older, classic cars had very little in common with their modern counterparts, other than the use of four wheels. Even the internal combustion engine isn’t part of the mix anymore, what with the staggering advancement of electricity and the power it can offer on the playing field of propulsion. Today’s cars aren’t even built in the same way. Everything has changed. And for some, this sparked the fires of opportunity.
The motoring world, especially the bit for the enthusiast, is a ‘glass half full’ kind of place. Opportunity is pounced on, and new ideas are frequently experimented with. The classic car world has always been at the forefront of this experimentation. As skills, techniques and technologies have moved on, the classic car world has been there not to mock or be intimidated, but to embrace and learn. At first, there were new ways to build old parts, to do better restorations, to use more environmentally friendly methods with things like paint. Soon though, it evolved into more. It evolved into the world of the restomod.
What is a restomod?
As you’ve probably guessed by now, the term ‘restomod’ is an amalgamation of restoration and modifications. It sounds simple, but in reality it’s a remarkably difficult thing to do right. It’s about balance. It’s about keeping the car’s essence, but bringing forward its performance, handling or comfort. Go too far into the modernisation, and you simply have a modified classic. Stay too close to original, and you just have a classic with some new bits. It’s a very tricky thing to nail down.
A good restomod should build on the spirit of the car, it should heighten the elements that made it special in the first place. Cars like the Porsche 911 that have been through the hands of Singer Vehicle Design are perhaps one of the best examples. The engines are upgraded and improved, but not replaced. The wheels are custom, bigger versions of what was there originally. The suspension is upgraded, the brakes too, all to make it an even better drivers’ car. But then the paint and trim are carefully considered, so as to be evocative of what was offered back when the car was new.
It’s not all about performance though. A restomod can be a means to bring an otherwise old machine up to a condition more befitting of modern needs. Take the Range Rover Classic we featured recently, built by Range Rover Restorations. To look at, it is still a two-door Range. It’s still on steel wheels. But, step inside, and there are heated seats, better grade leather, air conditioning, Bluetooth, a nice stereo, so on and so forth. Add all this into the wider restoration and you’re left with a classic that would be no more difficult to use every day than a modern Range Rover. It’s balanced.
Are EV conversions a restomod?
This is a more tricky question to answer, as the increasing trend for converting classics to be electric is a hugely divisive one. From where we’re sitting, we would say it depends entirely on the car. Look at a company like Lunaz, for example, and there is no doubt that a 1960s Rolls Royce Phantom converted to run on electricity is a good thing. It builds into the silent, wafting grace of such a car. It suits the car, and it emphasises the soul of it. It just… works.
But then, on the other hand, we have the Jaguar XK from the same company. Beautifully made, and laden with modern technology and zero emission kudos, but it’s not a restomod. It’s something else. Of course, Lunaz has never claimed it is a restomod. This is just us using it as a means to differentiate. It no longer has the straight-six Jaguar engine, the engine that made this car complete, the engine that defined it. If you remove it, you’re chipping away at the car’s essence, and thus it becomes something else altogether. We like the idea of the Lunaz car, but it’s not a restomod. The Rolls is, though. This is tricky, we know.
Restomod classics and the future
In the ever-changing landscape of the automobile, it’s safe to say that restomod classics definitely have a place. As fuel changes, as technology changes and the attitude to the car on the whole changes, the restomod is a welcome sight. They can serve as the best of both worlds, in the case of cars like the aforementioned Range Rover. Making a classic more usable today. Or they can take some of the stress and trepidation away from classic car ownership. Or, of course, they can show in the form of some EV conversions, that classics in one guise or another will always have their place.
Sure, the notion of a restomod isn’t for everybody, but within the broader classic car spectrum, it has an increasingly important space. New technologies within familiar, emotive designs – who, honestly, doesn’t want a bit of that in their lives?
