Understanding Resto-Mods

Resto-mods have become prevalent, particularly at sales conducted by Barrett-Jackson and Mecum Auctions. At the annual giant Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas last November, every crate-engine variant or upgraded component possible for resto-mod conversions was on display, even drop-in electric powerplants. There are many websites and car-oriented TV shows that feature and promote resto-mods, while offering parts and educating enthusiasts.

To a good number of car collectors, these cars are both desirable and valuable, yet on the surface they seem to break some of the fundamentals of collecting, especially for those who subscribe to the idea that cars should be presented as they left the factory. It’s time we take a closer look at these cars, both as collectibles and within the larger category of hot rods and customs.

A definition

Simply speaking, the word “resto-mod” comes from “restored” and “modernized.” Such a vehicle is more akin to a contemporary hot rod than a custom car, because most resto-mods incorporate engine, powertrain, suspension and braking upgrades and improvements, rather than extensive custom bodywork.

Hot-rodding has always involved improving performance. The resto-mod movement began with muscle cars, which were great-looking cars and high performing for their era. Yet by today’s standards, they lacked the ability to accelerate, brake and handle like contemporary high-performance cars. Or even normal cars. To wit: A 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS 350 turned a 16.1-second quarter-mile in a period road test conducted by Car and Driver, which would have it about half a second behind a modern Chrysler minivan.

Many fearsome muscle machines are still saddled with fade-prone drum brakes, vintage suspension components, steel wheels, old-style bias-ply tires, rubbery springs and skinny sway bars. Today’s aftermarket is replete with ventilated-disc-brake conversions, a wide range of improved progressive springs and adjustable shocks, lightweight high-performance wheels, and low-profile tires.

Of course, most of the attention is paid to high-horsepower “crate motor” conversions, with fuel injection and electronics that allow for reliably increasing power to levels previously reserved for unstreetable race engines. Add in stainless-steel free-flow exhaust systems, modern digital instruments, brighter lighting… the list goes on, for as long as your pocketbook is deep.

You can even purchase a completely new chassis and drop that handsome old body onto sturdy new underpinnings. A muscle-car owner who wants his “classic” to retain its timeless original appearance but ride, handle, stop and accelerate like a contemporary sports car has countless options.

Have it your way

The best resto-mods are professionally built. “Improvements,” wheels excepted, are hard to spot without a closer inspection. The result is a thoroughly modern car that still resembles a ’60s muscle machine. Besides muscle cars, mid-year Chevrolet Corvettes and the occasional 1955–57 Ford Thunderbird are popular resto-mod candidates.

While there are no rules for what makes a successful resto-mod, there are a few “best practices.” It’s preferable to keep the engine make the same as the car — so big-block LS2 engines are best installed in Camaros, modern Hemis in vintage Dodge Chargers, and 5.0 Coyotes from late-model Mustangs re-power older versions. The goal is to make the updated installation appear as though it was done by the respective carmaker.

Likewise, if you install a new Tremec TKO 5- or 6-speed gearbox, you should adapt the car’s original gearshift lever to preserve the stock period look. An upgraded Currie Ford-style 9-inch rear and upgraded Eaton Detroit Spring components are hard to tell from stockers unless you’re under the car. Modern A/C is fine, but keep the installation discreet.

If a custom chassis is used, most builders resist the temptation to widen the track with oversized wheels and tires that drastically alter the car’s looks and proportions. If the interior is changed substantially, that edges into the custom-car world. It’s okay to convert bench seats to buckets, but vintage-style fabric or leatherette that looks as though it could have been a factory option is often employed.

Many people will say that if the modifications are done well and the old parts are saved so a succeeding buyer can convert the car back to original, all the better. We imagine it is unlikely anyone ever reverts to factory stock, but the reassurance that they could is what matters.

Euro-mod?

In the traditional European sports-car world, resto-modding has also taken off, mainly with Porsches. But Porsche enthusiasts do not generally use terms like “hot rod” or “resto-mod,” preferring to call their modified cars “Outlaws.”

A stock-appearing early 356A that’s been fitted with a 912 engine or a 1,720-cc big-bore kit, later disc brakes and a 911 two-chamber master cylinder and an alternator is a good example of a milder Outlaw. Rod Emory — whose grandfather was Neil Emory, owner of the famed Valley Custom Shop, a George Barris rival in the 1950s — goes further, radically restyling his Outlaws, often with chopped tops and highly styled fenders.

Outlaws may include newer 911s that have been “back-dated” with earlier thinner bumpers, a modified 2.7-liter (or larger) engine, and mild restyling. Magnus Walker’s custom-built 911s reflect Emory’s approach, with modified bodies, often with a competition look, and the cars are almost always fitted with more-powerful flat sixes.

Arguably the most radically modified Porsches are Singers, built individually by Rob Dickinson’s company, Singer Vehicle Design. Here, the air-cooled 964-series 1989–94 Porsche 911 is “reimagined” with every component customized and upgraded. Due to their extensive restyling, these cars probably aren’t technically resto-mods.

Interestingly, Porsche Panorama, the official magazine of the Porsche Club of America, regularly runs features on modified cars, offering an implicit “blessing” for the practice.

Pay to play

Of course, the big question we have to ask is what all of this does to the car’s perceived value. Strangely enough, it more often than not increases a car’s selling price.

Years ago, any hot-rodding or customizing done to a car immediately lowered its value. In today’s market, however, tasteful, well-executed resto-mods often sell for more than stock examples, at least in certain segments. Buyers factor in the cost of the modifications and expect to pay for them. Further, the immediate gratification of getting a finished car now, rather than having to wait for a build from a specialty shop, often drives bidders to pay up.

In the long run, I think a perfectly restored or well-preserved, documented and rare muscle car with a verified VIN decoding report (such as a Marti Report if it’s a Ford, or an equivalent for other brands) will be valued higher than a car that’s been modified, no matter how well it’s been done. But for now, for enthusiasts who really want to drive their 50-year-old Detroit iron, resto-mods have proven appealing. ♥

Ken Gross is a Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Chief Class Judge and a founding member of the International Chief Judges’ Advisory Group (ICJAG). He served as Executive Director of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, and his 15 critically acclaimed auto exhibitions have drawn record crowds at major fine-art museums nationwide. The author of 25 books, Ken has been contributing to SCM for more than three decades.