{"id":9131,"date":"2021-03-24T08:04:49","date_gmt":"2021-03-24T08:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/?p=9131"},"modified":"2024-09-12T10:18:34","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T09:18:34","slug":"the-joy-of-the-restomod","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/the-joy-of-the-restomod\/","title":{"rendered":"The Joy of the Restomod"},"content":{"rendered":"

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. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Restomod,<\/p>\n

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\u2019t 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\u2019s cars aren\u2019t even built in the same way. Everything has changed. And for some, this sparked the fires of opportunity. <\/span><\/p>\n

The motoring world, especially the bit for the enthusiast, is a \u2018glass half full\u2019 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. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Restomod,<\/p>\n

What is a restomod?<\/span><\/strong> <\/span><\/h3>\n

As you\u2019ve probably guessed by now, the term \u2018restomod\u2019 is an amalgamation of restoration and modifications. It sounds simple, but in reality it\u2019s a remarkably difficult thing to do right. It\u2019s about balance. It\u2019s about keeping the car\u2019s 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. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Restomod,<\/p>\n

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 <\/span>Singer Vehicle Design<\/span><\/a> 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\u2019 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. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s 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 <\/span>Range Rover Restorations<\/span><\/a>. To look at, it is still a two-door Range. It\u2019s 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\u2019re left with a classic that would be no more difficult to use every day than a modern Range Rover. It\u2019s balanced. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Range<\/p>\n

Are EV conversions a restomod? <\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

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\u2019re 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 <\/span>1960s Rolls Royce Phantom<\/span><\/a> 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\u2026 works. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Restomod,<\/p>\n

But then, on the other hand, we have the <\/span>Jaguar XK<\/span><\/a> from the same company. Beautifully made, and laden with modern technology and zero emission kudos, but it\u2019s not a restomod. It\u2019s 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\u2019re chipping away at the car\u2019s essence, and thus it becomes something else altogether. We like the idea of the Lunaz car, but it\u2019s not a restomod. The Rolls is, though. This is tricky, we know. <\/span><\/p>\n

Restomod classics and the future<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

In the ever-changing landscape of the automobile, it\u2019s 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. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Restomod,<\/p>\n

Sure, the notion of a restomod isn\u2019t for everybody, but within the broader classic car spectrum, it has an increasingly important space. New technologies within familiar, emotive designs – who, honestly, doesn\u2019t want a bit of that in their lives? <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":9133,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[2],"tags":[15,963,2771,2770,81,1042,75,14,213,307,585,16,173,579],"yoast_head":"\nThe Joy of the Restomod - Car & Classic Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The world of the restomod is a hive of activity at the moment, and that\u2019s good, because it\u2019s a brilliant way to reimagine a classic.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/the-joy-of-the-restomod\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Joy of the Restomod - 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