Restoration or Resto-Mod?
Authentic Restoration
Your input is very important to us. What you have to say has a lot of impact on what kinds of articles we bring to you as well as what kind of Project Cars we do. In the past it was pretty clear that the hobby was strong behind pure authentic restorations. The cars that commanded the highest prices were the cars with the most authentic restoration. Usually they were the most desirable brands and models with restorations that would earn close to 100 points at prestigious shows.
Resto Mod
However, in my opinion, around the time of the second “Gone in 60 Seconds” and the Eleanor Mustang, things began to change. Modified collector cars began to be more popular and the movement towards Resto-Mods was on. These cars contain more of the modern features and amenities that many of us have become dependent on. Such things as air conditioning, high quality sound systems and better fuel mileage and more drivable also are standard equipment on such cars.
The movement also seems to include more cars being driven and the popularity of such events as Hot Rod Magazine’s Power Tour have likely played a big part in this evolution.
The question then becomes; which would you rather have a high quality restored trailer queen or a car that looks very similar on the outside but is in essence a modern road car underneath?
Take a minute to answer our survey. It has just a few multiple choice questions and we will share the results here on this web site in a couple of weeks; JUST CLICK HERE.
Who says you cannot drive a restored car? It is only a trailer queen if you have too much money in it or you are afraid to get some road wear on it. That happens to resto-mods too. A resto-mod is only valuable as long as it is up to date in mods. A car done in 2000 as a resto-mod is getting long in the tooth and needs expensive refreshing even if it is excellent condition. A restored car is always valuable as long as it is in excellent condition, no matter when it was done.
The truth is that a restored 60’s car is an old car and drives like it. Until it is modified it always will be that way, but isn’t that part of the charm. If one wants to drive a car with all of the up-to-date features, then buy a new one. It certainly is cheaper that way.