There are many car types in our hobby; hot rods, customs, street rods, rat rods, low riders, donks, pro-street, restomods, etc. I have recently been enamored by restomods.
What’s a restomod? I googled the term. Backyard Bill’s Classics defines a restomod as a classic car that has been modernized as opposed to being left in original condition or being restored to like new condition. They said “Regardless of what features are changed or added, the ultimate goal is to modify the classic car without significantly altering its outward appearance.”
Restomod upgrades typically include the drivetrain, suspension, and possibly the chassis. A restomod is not a hot rod because a hot rod is not limited to only classic cars. A restomod is not a traditional custom because body mods must be subtle or non-existent to preserve the original character of the car.
One company that I’m a big fan of (as my facebook followers would know) is the Icon company, founded by Jonathon Ward. Icon makes a variety of restomods based on certain models (1st gen Ford Broncos, 1960’s Dodge pickups, ’47 - 53 Chevy pickups, early Jeep/Willys, and Toyota 4×4’s. Yes Toyotas! In fact Toyotas are where Jonathon got started, but that’s a whole other story.
I don’t know whether Jonathon would call his vehicles restomods. He may not want to be limited by a definition. However, most of his cars are older than 25 years of age and thus are classics. All of Icon’s cars are highly modified. Of utmost importance to Jonathon, is to preserve the original character of the car (or the “romance of the era” as Jonathon puts it.)
Icon also sells a line of cars called Derelicts. The derelict series is a restomod without much resto to the exterior. What does that mean? Jonathon preserves the patina. Jonathon wants these cars to fly under the radar. He wants them to look like they’ve never been touched. He goes to great lengths to hide the mods of these cars by efforts like painting the custom 18 inch wheels with a brown primer-like finish and leaving the exterior looking rough (even though the body gaps are all perfect and all fasteners and hinges have been rebuilt with precision).
I especially like the Derelict series because they are liberating. These cars are secret Corvettes with Art Morison chassis and ridiculously powered drivetrains. They are the ultimate sleepers. These wolves in sheep clothing look like barn finds that can barely make it up a hill. In reality they can keep pace with modern day muscle cars in every way… that is if you can manage not to slide across the bench seat in a hard turn. The frequently equipped bench seat is another reason why I love them!
The Derelict series are typically cars from the 40’s and early 50’s. Unlike most classic cars, which many of us want to treat like fine wine - not too much sun, just the right temperature, handle with care, etc., these cars are meant to be driven. Some buyers drive them daily! Since the cars have patina, fear of a minor scratch or ding will not keep them from driving or parking their car just about anywhere. So they get to have fun without all the stress!
This is a recent trend that I’m seeing around the hobby. Perhaps it’s an offshoot of Rat Rods. But since it’s a trend it deserves a name. So what would we call the Derelicts and cars like them? I’m not sure if they are restomods because the exterior is not refinished. Perhaps we should call them rusto-mods, although I like the term derelict better.
At the end of the day the term doesn’t matter. This hobby is so great because it is not limited by rules, definitions and terms, which is how the derelict concept evolved. What’s most important to me is that this new trend represents the best of all worlds:
- the character of the classics
- the performance of the modern era
- and the fun that happens behind the steering wheel
We can’t ask for much more than that.
Get out and drive!
For those interested to hear more about Jonathon Ward’s vision of his Derelicts, click here.
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