6 CHEVY HIGH PERFORMANCE I I OCTOBER 2019
The great restomod debate
certainly not the first time this term has
been used, but at least it differentiates
a Pro Touring car from one of lesser-
handling capabilities and modern
amenities.
Hopefully this makes sense to all the
muscle car enthusiasts out there and
we can agree that no dollar amount or
number of bolt-on upgrades should
nullify any car from being referred to as
a restomod.
If you have the end-all definition of a
restomod I want to hear it. Email me at
[email protected].
And, in the next issue we’ll nail
down the exact definition of the term
“hot rod.”
Nope. I’m not even gonna go there.
You in?Apparently, the July 2019 issue with the tag
line Restomods Rule! on the cover hit a nerve with a few
of the more “mature” Chevy High Performance magazine
readers as they voiced their opinion on our social media
sites (Instagram and Facebook) regarding the term
“restomod” being used incorrectly in relation to the car
featured on the cover. It seems that some folks feel the
word restomod insinuates there are or should be hard-
line limitations to the number and kind of modifications
a car has received, therefore excluding it from the
restomod party. The car being referenced is a 1970 Nova
with a variety of upgrades ranging from an LT4 engine,
aftermarket suspension components, new rearend,
bigger brakes, larger diameter wheels and tires, exhaust,
rollcage, and bucket seats, along with a five-point safety
harness mounted to a harness bar.Now, before all those upgrades took
place, the body was restored (remember
that word) to appear in like-new
condition, which is where we get the
term “resto,” short for “restored.” Once
the car takes on parts to improve its
performance, handling, and safety, the
car has now been “modified.” With the
car now being restored and modified, it
is then referred to as a “restomod.”
Keep in mind, today’s classic street
machines are the new-and-improved
versions of restomods, but being the
Internet is a place where opinions are
mighty and many, a number of Chevy
High Performance social media followers
“informed” me that the car is not a
restomod because it has Pro Touring
style, a rollcage, and other modern
modifications.
Now, if someone in Internetville
has set a ceiling on the number and
types of modifications that are allowed
to be done to a car that remove its
restomod status, I missed that meeting
invite, or maybe it’s in my spam folder.
Granted, in the late-’60s and early-’70s,
modifications to street cars were
somewhat limited due to the availability
of aftermarket parts, so basic mods
consisted of mild engine upgrades, a
chrome air cleaner and valve covers,
maybe a tunnel-ram intake, wheels and
tires, exhaust (side pipes even), tractionbars, shifter, and a big-ass
tach perched somewhere
on top of or under the
dash. Cars that received
these modifications soon
after purchasing new off
the showroom floor were
considered “day-two”
restos. The Nova in
reference is definitely
not that.
I understand that we have various
muscle car sub-categories such as Pro
Street and Pro Touring, but regardless
of the number of upgrades and how
wild or radical said upgrades are, the
cars were restored and modified, which
in the spirit of all things said, falls
under restomod.
I get it—some people can’t wrap
their head around the term when a car
plays host to more aftermarket products
than the scant amount of original
parts it once came with. But with the
vast amount of performance parts
available to improve the functionality
of our classics today, let’s continue the
conversation and entertain the idea
that it may be time to reevaluate what a
restomod is in today’s terms.
Still not convinced? Then go ahead
and give Pro Touring top billing and
refer to a vintage handling street car
as a Pro Touring restomod. This isNick Licata [email protected]