Restomod Roundup: Bringing the Past into the Future

Ever since Jeremy Clarkson reviewed the Eagle Speedster on Top Gear 12 years ago, it feels like there has been a restomod invasion that has shown little signs of slowing down. Interestingly, despite the often hefty price tags, love for the restomod within the car community is plentiful, and a glance through the forums reveals an overwhelmingly positive response:

“What's not to like about them? They're better all around after a modern refresh, plus it's the only way we get to keep these cars on the road.” 

“I'm all about it. I like the body styles of some older cars but I want a modern suspension, engine, and transmission so I can actually drive it and enjoy it.”

“I think it's a shame to mod a well preserved original car, but nothing wrong with restomods either if it brings new life to a beat up old car.”

With so many now available, we decided to roundup a few of our favourites. 

Written by Archie Hill for The Apex by Custodian.

Lancia Delta Futurista 

“It represents my romantic vision in a world that is too aseptic, too fast, that runs like the wind, superficial and intangible,” - these are the words of designer Eugenio Amos, describing his futuristic take on the Lancia Delta. A love letter to the boxy classic hot hatch which captured imaginations of rally fans in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the Futurista is appropriately clothed in hand-shaped aluminium and carbon fibre bodywork, and is designed as a reincarnation of everything which made the original car so appealing. We love it for its enormous arches and refusal to get in line with hypercar norms despite boasting a 330hp turbo four-cylinder engineered by Podium Advanced Technologies and Autotecnica Motori.

Kingsley’s Range Rover Classic

Designed to be “the most used vehicle in your stable”, Kingsley’s re-engineered Range Rover’s are meant to be driven, not just admired. Their program offers a surfeit of options and upgrades to the engine, suspension, and brakes which can be enhanced a wide range of cosmetic and interior options to make the vehicle truly unique and more usable. 

Interestingly, they offer different types of Range Rover Classic models, from the Suffix Classics where every item has been restored but kept totally original, and the KR Series, which is a fully re-engineered Classic where key components are enhanced to improve the drivability, performance and usability of the car. They also do a KA Series which is a rust-free entry model, designed for further enhancement over time, as well as a range of enhancements for Defender owners which is illustrated within the KD Series.

Eagle Speedster 

The OG. This was the one that showed us what a restomod could be. To capture the spirit and essence of the original, but make it even better? Watching Clarkson fall in love with this car warmed the heart of even the most obstinate petrolhead. 

To tinker with the design of a car that Enzo Ferrari himself described as “the most beautiful car ever made” was a bold move but we’re yet to meet someone who isn’t a fan of the subtle changes. The lower, steeply raked windscreen, the deeper body panels… it simply works. 

From a mechanical perspective, the 4.7 litre straight six, modern brakes, and uprated suspension brings a sense of comfort and added enjoyment to any prospective buyer.  

Cyan Racing Volvo P1800

“The 60’s. Only Perfected” is the tagline for a restomod that perhaps caught everyone a little off guard. After all, Volvo is not typically front of mind when you think of re-imagining icons from the past, but we’re glad they joined the party. 

Cyan Racing, the reigning six-time world champion team of touring car racing, are the brains behind the operation, and when they are finished with the original donor car, the only similarity is the way it looks, as the car is restored, delicately re-designed and extensively re-engineered. 

“The Volvo P1800 Cyan is our interpretation of what could have been if we as a race team had been there during the sixties, racing the P1800, and got to design a grand tourer version out of our race car. The result is a car where the golden sixties are still present in every detail but at a level not possible with 1960s technology, design and engineering possibilities.”

CALLUM Vanquish 25

Re-visited. Re-imagined. Re-designed. Re-created, refined and Re-born - that’s how the marketing materials describe Ian Callum’s improved Aston Martin Vanquish V-12 by R-Reforged. Call it a new spin on an old classic or just unfinished business, this most modern of restomods sees the Vanquish receive more than 350 styling, material and engineering tweaks designed to make it a more relevant, enjoyable and practical GT. Past Apex interviewee Ian Callum is on record as stating that the Vanquish 25 is supposed to correct all the elements he always wanted to fix on the original car - including suspension refinements, LED lights, retrimmed interior, retuned engine and offset, more stable wheels with larger brakes. As far as we are concerned, it’s an excellent proposition and an interesting approach to getting the best out of past models.

Singer Porsche 

Singer have paved the way for restomods and carved out a whole new section of the market. And to do so with one of the most iconic and successful sports cars of all time feels…right. However, they also present an interesting legal challenge for brands and manufacturers alike when these companies deviate too much from the original design, but still use the original branding and IP.

Enter the Singer DLS (Dynamic Lightweight Study) models and the ACS (All-terrain Competition Study). The off-roader developed by Singer was not met with the same level of appreciation by Porsche, and instead of a bunch of red roses, Singer got sued. 

Porsche had no direct involvement in the creation of the heavily-modified ACS which is based on the 911, and unsurprisingly, there comes a point when Porsche has to protect its IP and send a message to other companies who may be tempted to do something similar. (For anyone who thinks of RUF, it’s important to note that RUF and Singer do different things. RUF is registered as a manufacturer, and sells whole cars, with different model names, outside of Porsche nomenclature. And they do not use Porsche badges.) 

Objectively, most would agree that Singer has been good for Porsche, helping to promote the brand and inspire the next generation of enthusiasts. Porsche has clearly recognised that or else they would have taken action sooner. 

This particular dispute between Singer and Porsche Cars North America was settled for an undisclosed amount, but it does represent a potential future challenge for other manufacturers.