Most Wanted: 10 Vehicles Which Need A Restomod

While the restomod movement may not be as high-profile as that of simple restorations, it is beginning to gain international traction. It’s spreading further and further outside of the United States, like a broadcast of sweet machine music. In the UK, two major motoring outfits, Top Gear and Fifth Gear, have given magazine and TV coverage to restomods. In Poland, you can find Mustang restomods and restorations created by the loving hands of Mustang Clinic. The thing is, while everyone and their mechanic love to use Mustangs, Chevelles, Corvettes, and Chargers in their projects, some models need more love. In this list, I’ve pulled together ten models that I think could do with being spruced up. Some of these are money-no-object cars, and the projects would have to match. I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts on this. Which models do you think need to be given a new lick of paint and an injection of horsepower? Let us know in the comments.

Delorean DMC-12

Production years: 1981-1982

In many ways, the Delorean was doomed from the start. It was originally going to be produced in Puerto Rico, but a factory site came up in Northern Ireland, which was then chosen as the production site. This baffling choice is almost the least of the company’s failures. Production was set to begin in 1979, but when the clock ticked round to 1978, the factory hadn’t even been built. The car needed changes too, so it got pushed back to 1981. When production began, the inexperienced workforce, exchange rate problems, and low demand ensured the company would fail. Topping it all off was John Delorean’s 1982 arrest for cocaine trafficking. Everything that could go wrong, did.

For all of this, however, I find a charm in the Delorean and just can’t shake that. Let’s look at it from the ground up. Its design was heavily inspired by the drop-dead gorgeous Maserati Boomerang, and its beautiful brushed stainless steel exterior can still turn heads. The Delorean’s engineering was handled by Lotus, who gave the car double-wishbone front suspension and multi-link rear, giving superb ride and handling. The two things it really needs are a new interior and new paint. The interior was deeply awful in the original, with the dye from carpets being reported to come off with a touch of your hand. Put some leather seats in there and new carpet, maybe with a deep shade of blue to complement the exterior’s coldness. If you want an engine that comes alive, dig into the parts box for an Alfa Romeo Busso or a BMW N54, or maybe a small-block V8. There’s no reason this car needs to be bad. A restomod could truly uncover why Marty McFly seemed so excited about this car.

Dodge Polara

Production years: 1959-1973

The Dodge Polara is a car that bugger all people talk about these days. Compared to its rivals, the Ford Galaxie and the Chevrolet Impala, it gets hardly any attention. That lack of attention means a lack of restomods, which is a shame, because Polaras can be had for peanuts these days. If you hunt around, you could get one for around $15,000. Built with a unibody design, they’re big, heavy, full-sized cars that are built like tanks. Thanks to its decently-long run, you can also grab one in three distinct styles. The early model boasts authentic 50s fins and a massive chrome fender. The 60s model is more distinctly sculpted, with a long, pristine hood. The 70s model looks…well, very 70s. You can also grab them as convertibles, sedans, or station wagons, so take your pick.

Honestly, the build quality means that you probably won’t have to do a huge amount of work to the exterior, unless it’s been in a bang. You’ll just have to remove the usual scrapes and dents, but that’s easy enough. The interior may need more work, with generations of people having sat in and used this thing, you can expect tears in the leather, etc. After that, the car is your oyster. Fancy a ridiculous low-rider? Put air ride suspension under it. Want a speedster that you can luxuriate in (and make you feel like you’re drag-racing Buckingham Palace)? Throw a massive modern V8 in there, put in leather seats and a modern console and stereo. These cars are extremely versatile, so why not get to it? Build an all-American restomod.

Ferrari Testarossa

Production years: 1984-1996

Although it may have existed for just as long in the 1990s, to me, the Testarossa is an emblem of the 1980s. When I picture this wonderful car, I see it on a beachside highway in California or Florida under an eternal summer sunset. That besides, no one restomods these. Ferraris tend to be seen as sacred, with the act of modifying one being tantamount to taking garden shears to the Shroud of Turin. That’s silly, though. Yes, Ferraris are immaculately designed, but guess what, so are great restomods? Should you have a few hundred thousand dollars to spare, you could build something truly incredible.

While you’ll probably want to keep the iconic body shape the same, you could always customize it with some custom skirts, a new spoiler and front splitter. When it comes to the engine, there’s a fair bit of space to play around, thanks to the original’s flat-12 design. If you fancy a change, throw a modern V12 in there, like those from an Aston Martin or a BMW 750i. Update the brakes with some modern ceramics courtesy of Brembo, replace the transmission, and generally give this thing a much-needed modernization. Given the retro-80s styles currently floating around, this restomod would be a hit with all but the most die-hard Ferrari purists.

Lancia Delta Integrale

Production years: 1988-1994

Small, mighty, and deeply flawed. That’s how I’d describe the Lancia Delta Integrale. The car’s renown as not so much developing rust, but coming with it out of the box, is well-known across the globe. The Integrale grew from the Fiat Ritmo, which plumbed new depths of automotive awfulness. It was renowned for a build quality that made the car feel as though it was built of egg boxes, it was unreliable, and had problems with just about every system.

The Lancia Delta Integrale, however, was a wonderful machine. It was a true hot hatch, with a two-liter turbo engine, four-wheel drive, and what’s more, it was a driver’s car. It was precise without feeling robotic, the steering was lightning-bolt accurate, and it felt good.

Yes, the build quality was still somewhat suspect, but it was impossible not to fall in love with the Delta Integrale. It was cheap too, but the emphasis is on was. Now, they’re quite a lot pricier, soaring up into tens of thousands of dollars. On top of this, you’ll probably need to pay import fees unless you’re exceptionally lucky, as they were never officially sold in the US. The mechanicals tend to last pretty well, despite its Fiat parentage, however. What it will almost certainly need is an exterior rebuild. The panels will need fixing or replacing, thanks to the aforementioned rust issue, and you’ll probably want a performance boost. You could insert the engine from a modern VW Golf GTI, and put in a new manual transmission for a wonderful mix of old and new. Someone’s gotta keep the Integrale alive.

Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler

Production years: 1981-1986

The CJ-8 is a Jeep with almost legendary status. A long-wheelbase version of the CJ-7, itself already a longer-wheelbase version of the CJ-5, it was a really interesting car. The CJ-8 came at the end of the first generation of Jeeps, built upon the venerable troop carrier of WW2. As a result, it had had the kinks ironed out by this point, leaving a superb off-roader with added bonus features. Take the removable half-cab for instance, which could give you a pickup-style bed. You could get automatic transmission, but if you really want to take this thing into the dirt, I wouldn’t. The Scrambler wrapped all this dirt-beating supremacy into a neat little 80s package, care of some decals and model-specific wheels.

If you like the aesthetic of the 1980s, and want a great off-roader that you could potentially craft into a speedster if you go the weight reduction route, it’s well worth considering. They’re expensive, as finding one is hard enough, and finding one in good condition, even harder, but that doesn’t stop other modders. Rip out the V8 and replace it with the Hemi V8 as packed by a Grand Cherokee. Weight reduction wouldn’t be too bad of an idea, and also shouldn’t be too hard, but it all depends on what you’re interested in it for. If you’d like to take out some extraneous steel, drop it and chop it, you’d end up with a unique restomod truck. If you want to off-road in it, you could do a lot worse than fitting a modern roll cage and some other structural improvements, plus some larger wheels.

MG MGB

Production years: 1962-1980

If you’re after a British roadster that doesn’t require that much scratch, consider the MG MGB. Produced by the bucketload from 1962-1980, you won’t have too much trouble finding one in decent shape. Once you’ve got one, you’ll be in for a treat. The car isn’t bullet quick by the standards of this side of the pond, taking a whole 13 seconds to get to 60, but that’s something you can fix. You just need a bit of elbow grease and a new engine block (I may be simplifying). I much prefer the look of earlier MGBs, all 60s styling, sweeping back like a receding wave, to the blockier later versions, but some people go for that look.

What you need in this thing is some power. It looks good, and it drives superbly, even after over 50 years, but it needs more oomph. It came with a 1.8 (apart from a rare V8 model produced for just three years,) so don’t expect a big engine bay. What you can fit in there though, as this guy has, is a 3.5 liter V6. If you put that in this car, especially if you pair it with a modern manual transmission, this little car will go like the proverbial off the shovel. You’ll be blasting around in no time. The interior may need a bit of TLC, and I’d recommend keeping the dash, as it’s classic British fare.

Alfa Romeo Montreal

Production years: 1970-1977

Cars don’t come much prettier than the Alfa Romeo Montreal. One look at this car’s sleek, Miura-esque body, and you know that it’s something special. It could be a complete pig to drive, and you’d still want in your driveway. Designed by Bertone, who also put out the astonishingly good-looking Lamborghini Countach, it is something out of this world. Even though its V8 was small at just 2.6 liters, it was pretty mighty. The Montreal flew to a top speed of 137 mph with acceleration that’s still pretty decent, at 7.4 seconds to 60 mph.

All that being said though, it could still do with…more. For example, if you fancied it, you could expand the engine’s capacity up to a nice round three liters without too much trouble on your part, while lightening work could be handled with carbon fiber or aluminum. They’re not cheap in any way, which is to be expected with a production cohort as low as 4000. This won’t be a cheap project. You’re going to need cash, materials, and a high level of expertise. If you can handle it though, you’ll have the prettiest restomod around, at least until some madman takes a wrench to a Miura.

BMW M1

Production years: 1978-1981

I’ve always been enamored with the BMW M1. This is a car that’s not to be confused with the 1M, so do so at your peril. The M1 is a racer, another one of those cars from the 1970s that seem to have been designed by engineers obsessed with acute angles. Whether it’s in plain orange or its spectacular racing livery, it’s a wonderful machine, and by God it’s quick. Zero to sixty was completed in just under 5.5 seconds, while the street version had a top speed of 162 mph. Seems like it should handle most streets. The engine, like most European cars, was small compared to its brash American cousins, with a displacement of 3.5 liters, but it knows how to use it.

These are exceptionally rare cars, so restomodding one really may make people upset. I kind of understand it this time around, but that’s not to say that more power shouldn’t be fed into this beast. I’d advise keeping it pure with a modern BMW S55 inline six, which would give a horsepower increase of around 180 horsepower. The looks shouldn’t be touched, in my opinion, but you could probably lighten it some more. Make this essentially a road-legal F1 car. That’s the dream.

Ford Escort RS Cosworth

Production years: 1992-1996

Growing up, the Ford Escort Cosworth was the car of choice for boy racers, and many an Escort ended up wrapped around a streetlight. That’s not to detract from it. In some ways, it almost adds to it. The Escort Cosworth was truly an everyman’s racer, with a low price and high power. Packing a two-liter engine courtesy of venerable British tuning outfit Cosworth, it put out 227 horsepower. That’s just the start, too. The engine was, and still is hugely tuneable. I’m talking extremely tuneable. As in, over 1000 horsepower tuneable — from a two-liter engine. It drives like a dream too, thanks to its pedigree as a rally car.

If I were to change anything about this car, I would change the body. It may have looked cool at the time, but it hasn’t aged well at all, looking like it’s sprung straight from the pages of a terrible tuning magazine. You can keep the massive spoiler, but replace the terrible hood and panels with something fresh looking. I’d keep the engine, thanks to its massive tuneability, but give it a thorough going-over and reconditioning. Just try not to wrap your fresh restomod around a streetlight.

Nissan Skyline R33 GTR

Production years: 1993-1998

Some cars never really age. While a lot of vehicles may still look amazing, they’re very much of their time. The Nissan Skyline R33 GTR could come out today, and aside from it being slightly more boxy than modern cars, I’d not notice the difference. Its influence on the Nissan GT-R is almost shockingly evident, and if you ever want a car to drift in, the Skyline R33 is the one for you. It was also that rarest of breeds: it could seat four, carry your stuff, was reliable, and was extremely fast. If you’re interested in driving on more than just straight lines, you’re in luck.

Thanks to its popularity as a drifter and a general tuner’s car, most of them have already been modified to some extent. If you want the ultimate in speed, an LS3 engine will fit the bill nicely, and can be installed in an R33 fairly easily. If you’re more of a traditionalist, then get yourself a fine straight-six, maybe something Porsche-produced, and prepare for the ultimate driving experience. Be prepared to rip off a ton of lameass accessories installed by whoever owned it before you, and rebuild it back according to your own aesthetic.