THE ART OF THE RESTOMOD
You might well believe your dream car to be a big Healey from the 50’s, a classic Aston from the 60’s, or a Ferrari from the 70’s… But have you driven one?
That scene from Goldeneye where the Ferrari 355 and DB5 chase each other round twisty roads is little more than fantasy in reality.
The best thing about a classic car is arguably the way it looks, and the way it makes you feel when you drive it. It’s an emotional choice, therefore to owning and running one on a daily basis means forgiving the shortcomings of the technology available at the time… Doesn’t it?
Cards on the table, I’m a purist at heart. I’d usually take quite a lot of convincing that an older car should be modified, particularly with anything that wasn’t available in period. Take for example the famous Racing Onion - the A35 that I’d consider one of our greatest success stories - transforming the car from one used daily in period, to one used daily today - with the exception of the Ford-derived 5 speed gearbox, the rest of the components were selected to work together on the car, from a series of other classics developed from the A35 platform. There’s quite a lot of MG Midget in the braking, some period-appropriate modifications like the Panhard bar to locate the rear axle in a lateral plane. The result is a cohesive car that simply feels like a hot version of the original - improving the power and handling without losing the classic appeal that inspired the owner in the first place.
However, the ‘Restomod’ scene is embracing innovative change whereby shortcomings of the original designs need not be accepted any longer
Fast-tracked by the advent and accessibility of CAD systems and 3D printing; major players in the space such as Retropower in the UK, and Singer Porsche in the USA produce manufacturer-and-beyond grade products, preserving and enhancing the aesthetic, tailoring to clients specifications but with technological advances in running gear, meaning you really can have the best of both worlds.
After all, it’s hard to argue that a propensity to overheat and run the battery flat is anything more than character building for the driver, really.
A Restomod build goes beyond merely shoving a big V8 into a car that simply can’t cope with the power it produced even originally, it’s a preserving the aesthetic whilst engineering the rest of the car to fulfil the wildest dreams of the owner.
We’re carrying out this operation with our 1966 Chevrolet C10 - beyond the huge increase in power and wild exterior will be a bespoke interior; comfortable and ergonomic, brakes that will cope with 500bhp on tap and a tailored suspension system with every aspect digitally controlled - featured tastefully in the dash as per the client’s request.
The sky and the scope of our imaginations are the limit today, and the every best Restomods are garnering their places at Goodwood and the like, deservedly so. The UK should be proud of our engineering prowess in this particular niche, succeeding with good taste and attention to detail.
The art is adhering to a mission statement throughout the build, a headline brief we can use to guide us through the build. Cohesion and continuity through the build sets a good Restomod apart from a car simply assembled from a wild shopping list of parts. The C10, for example, is built to win the National Hot Rod, Custom and American show in the UK - nothing more, nothing less. If it isn’t of sufficient quality, it doesn’t go on the car - a guiding principle ensuring the finished product feels ‘just right’.
So, we embrace the Restomod culture and everything it brings to the classic car industry. I might not yet have made my peace with the electrification movement - favouring the development of synthetic and carbon-neutral fuels if we must…
That’s probably a subject for another blog. But taking away the shortcomings of a classic car with development and engineering, and leaving behind the classic lines and feel - that’s an exciting proposition.
In one of my files at home, I have the technical drawings for such a build on my beloved Triumph TR6, an exercise I did some years ago, just for fun. You know, as you do... The original car is high maintenance on the rear suspension and differential, has a chassis that flexes too much even by 70’s standards, and shortcomings in either of the air/fuel delivery setups offered at the factory, amongst other things.
My design is based around a ladder framed, tubular chassis - incorporating a stronger IRS system on the rear. . Tremec gearbox, bespoke brakes, uprated suspension and would take any engine that would fit between the chassis rails and under the ‘hood’ - although I’d originally envisaged a 200bhp original engine block with some clever modifications and a discreet, modern fuel injection system… I’d also put time into designing a tighter gearbox tunnel and reshaped ‘H section’ that meant you’d no longer have to drive with your knee stuck between the gear selector and the steering wheel. Three inches more legroom and introducing some quality to the switchgear, fixtures and fittings…