{"id":5201,"date":"2020-02-14T07:46:02","date_gmt":"2020-02-14T07:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/?p=5201"},"modified":"2024-09-12T16:25:35","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T15:25:35","slug":"praise-the-lowered-modified-classics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/praise-the-lowered-modified-classics\/","title":{"rendered":"Praise the Lowered – Modified Classics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Right then, here we go, I\u2019m jumping into the angry waters of classic car modification with both feet. Many hate the idea and think that classic cars should still slosh around with a whiff of four-star. Others look at a classic and ponder over what they can do to it. Some will insist on cross-ply tyres, despite their desire to kill you. Others will try and work out if you can fit a turbo four-cylinder into the back of a Hillman<\/a> Imp. And guess what? It doesn\u2019t matter what camp you\u2019re in. Both are perfectly acceptable. There is no right, there is no wrong. At least in the grand scheme of things. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"classic<\/p>\n

For what it\u2019s worth, I\u2019m firmly in the modification camp. But don\u2019t worry, I can be objective and I can see the validity of the arguments for both sides. For me though, I like adding touches to my cars that make them mine. I want my cars to be unmistakably a product of me. I want people to see them at shows and be all \u2018oh, that\u2019s so-and-so’s car\u2019. BUT, and this is the big caveat, I generally don\u2019t own rare or valuable cars. Having chosen the life of the motoring journalist, I only ever have about four quid to my name. As such, my cars are fair game for modification in the most part. That said, I did once have a Mk2 Ford<\/a> Zodiac Lowline with flames crudely sprayed on one side, but we\u2019ll glance over that. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"classic<\/p>\n

I find the notion of classic cars to be a very personal one, and that\u2019s the case if you\u2019re driving a \u00a3500 rust box, or a \u00a35m supercar. And on that basis, it\u2019s very much down to the owner what he or she does to said car. <\/span><\/p>\n

Modification is a form of expression, it\u2019s also often a display of incredible talent and ability. I have seen some hot rods, for example, that have been modified with such engineering precision and detail they\u2019d make an F1 car blush. During my time as Editor of Performance Ford magazine I have seen Escort RS Cosworths with 1,000bhp, I have seen the Fiesta above shred tyres thanks to turbocharged power, and I have loved every one of them. <\/span><\/p>\n

Modifying classics is in the family, too. My own never-ending project, a 1999 Rover<\/a> 800 Vitesse Sport, is modified. Lowered, uprated brakes, uprated clutch, all the wood is gone in favour of a nice carbon wrap (you hate it, but it doesn\u2019t matter). My father owns a \u201855 Ford Thunderbird<\/a>. However, it\u2019s not standard. It\u2019s lower, it sits on Radir Tri-Spoke alloy wheels, the front and rear dagmars have been removed, there\u2019s some pin-striping, and under the bonnet you\u2019ll find an Edelbrock tri-carp setup sitting atop an Offenhauser inlet manifold. It is, in his eyes and mine, gorgeous. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"classic<\/p>\n

I know that the Thunderbird, in the guise in which my father has built it, makes him happier than a stock one ever would. The Rover wouldn’t get me nearly as excited if it was standard. These modifications make us happy. The people I have encountered at shows and during my time working on magazines have all been beaming with passion and enthusiasm for their modified cars, and that is a beautiful thing. If this is what modifying classic cars can do, then bring it on I say, welcome it with open arms. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"classic<\/p>\n

The problem with modification is that anyone can do it, and that includes those with zero comprehension of both style and excess. It\u2019s these people and their cars that tarnish the notion of modification. There\u2019s a guy around my way who drives a beautiful old Toyota Crown, but it rides along on the most god-awful Halfords chrome, blingy alloys you ever did see. It ruins it. And while it probably makes him happy, it doesn\u2019t help with the wider understanding of modification. Instead, it perpetuates the stereotype that all modification is bad and tasteless. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not though. Modification when done right is a magnificent thing. And it\u2019s one I think we should capitalise on. There have been so many technological advances since our classics were built. Things that weren\u2019t available way back when. There are companies out there which serve us on this front, with popular classics from Ford, Vauxhall, Volkswagen et al all being offered myriad modification options. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"classic<\/p>\n

Of course, to represent the other side, there are exceptions. Some classics have earned their stripes as honest survivors, and they should be preserved as such. Your car, that you love and cherish as it is should stay like that. A Ferrari<\/a> 250GTO does not need a carbon fibre wing or a set of banded steel wheels (though man, that would look cool). But really, a car has to work hard to dodge the crosshairs of modification potential. Because <\/span>everything<\/span><\/i> has that potential. Take the Ferrari F40 built by Gas Monkey Garage. Admittedly, the car was bought as a crashed wreck, but still, it was rebuilt and modified and now it\u2019s a wheeled icon. An example of what can be done with bottomless pockets and much bravery. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

The Gas Monkey F40 – shot by Hayden G Photography<\/em><\/p>\n

The bottom line with modification is that nobody says you have to do it. If you want your Rover P6 to stay standard, then keep it standard. But if you want to lower it and fit an LS V8, then do it. There are no rules, there is no wrong or right. There is no guidebook. As I said, modification is expression, and that\u2019s why I\u2019m all for it. If it can bring you further joy, give you a means to experiment and try out ideas, that\u2019s brilliant. But at the same time, if you get the same joy from preserving and maintaining your classic to factory standard, that\u2019s admirable too. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"classic<\/p>\n

Modification is a motivator for arguments, and it shouldn\u2019t be. If your name is on the V5, you can do as you please. That\u2019s your right. If it makes you happy, brilliant. But don\u2019t get hung up on another person\u2019s car. If you want to fit a jet engine, if you want to paint it pink, or if you want to just leave it as the manufacturer intended, it\u2019s all good. Life is too short. Let the modifiers modify. Let them take classic cars to a new, exciting and hitherto unimaginable level. <\/span><\/p>\n

Credit to Bruce Holder for the shots of the smoky Fiesta and the Ford Thunderbird<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Right then, here we go, I\u2019m jumping into the angry waters of classic car modification with both feet. 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