Restomods are here to stay | Thank Frankel it’s Friday

In my view it’s an industry that’s not only going to stick around, it’s going to grow, and here’s why. Modern supercars are wonderful things in many ways, full of dazzling technologies and very impressive to regard. But they are difficult to use for the purpose for which they are designed because they are too fast for the public road and require a certain robustness of spirit from the owner to flog them around a track. And even then, not all will get the most from these cars: they are intimidatingly rapid, difficult to see out of and now even come sporting meaningful amounts of downforce. Though few admit it, many just don’t have the requisite talent or skills, and don’t want to spend a large amount of money taking an unnecessary risk to be reminded of the fact.

An old car however is a very different proposition, because it will be lighter, slower, easier to place on the road, reach the limit and control thereafter. The only problem is that old cars can be unreliable and no one likes being stranded at the side of the road with only the size of the incoming bill to consider as you wait for the AA to turn up. And that’s where the restomod fits in.

A restomod can be anything from a genuinely old car with a few sensible bits attached – alternator instead of dynamo, electronic ignition, air-conditioning and power steering – to something made entirely from brand new parts that merely looks like it could be based on a car designed most of a lifetime ago. You get the look, the dimensions and image you want, but the downside removed. What’s not to like?

And of course a brand new recreated car that’s indistinguishable from the original can be cheaper too. Millions cheaper. Imagine you had some rare old racer and knew that for a tiny fraction of its value you could create a sister car, race that and if you smash it to bits know you can withstand the hit to your bank balance too. I understand absolutely those who denigrate such cars as fakes, but they do perform one useful role, namely to preserve genuinely original cars. Because the problem is the one thing you cannot replace after an accident is the history.

They have other purposes too: they allow car manufacturers to exploit their heritage and make a fat profit and they provide a great shop window for restoration businesses to showcase their skills.

But the system is open to abuse, especially when histories start being suggested for cars to which they are not entitled. Sometimes it happens where two machines claim exactly the same identity and one is clearly a fraud, but often it is more nuanced than that. Let’s say an original car gets crashed and is rebuilt around a new shell with all its old bits and carries on regardless. Maybe no one even knows it got crashed. And then, years later, someone finds the damaged tub, repairs it and creates an otherwise entirely new car around it. Which is entitled to the original’s identity?

I’m not even going to attempt an answer because no two cases are the same and they usually end up getting all legal and expensive. I seek only to point out the issue.

For me however and, philistine that I am, I really like the idea of a certain sort of old car being enhanced by some modern technology in a sympathetic way. What would my ideal restomod look like? A Lotus Elan coupe, with a carbon body to keep it light, a more torsionally rigid chassis with some side intrusion bars to keep it safe, slightly more rubber on the road and maybe – oh the heresy of it – a 2.2-litre Lotus engine tuned up to an easy, reliable 190PS (140kW) or so. Or a 1960s suicide door Fiat 500 with an all-electric powertrain to live outside the London pad I don’t have. Those are the sorts of restomods that really appeal to me. There will be many more of them in years to come and, certain concerns and caveats notwithstanding, I welcome them.