Why this is interesting: in a world in which the character of cars is under threat, restomods offer brands the chance to keep their weird and wonderful histories front of mind.
I'm fascinated by restomods.
They're of the moment, embodying a reverence for the 80s and 90s (see also Poolsuite FM and their newsletter).
They're also artisanal, in the way that Grant McCracken defines the term.
But what's super interesting is how many hark back to an era when their respective brands were far more particular and peculiar than they are today.
Nardone’s take of the Porsche 928.
The Porsche 928 was as a futuristic-but-confused GT that failed to replace the 911.
A Porsche 911 “restored and reimagined by Singer.”
Old 911s themselves were weird, uncompromising cars.
A Porsche 930 “restored and reimagined by Singer.”
People called the 930 Turbo a widow maker because of its propensity to bite the unwary driver.
The Lancia Delta Integrale Futurista by Automobili Amos
The Delta Integrale was a one-hit wonder in a crap run of Lancia road cars.
A Kingsley restomod of a 1992 Range Rover
The original Range Rover possessed a naked utilitarianism that disappeared in later models.
The Prodrive P25
And the Subaru Impreza was a cheap compact that wowed the world with a boxer and a bit of boost.
To stay solvent these days, brands must appeal to the broadest market possible .
These restomods thumb their nose at such populism. They say "we're not for you" in a way that would be commercially catastrophic for their original manufacturers.
Returning to the music analogy, when manufacturers dabble in their greatest hits, they do a digital remaster.
They clean up the car, smooth off the rough edges, and fiddle with the levels. They make it like new, but slightly better. It’s a reissue of Rumours, by Fleetwood Mac.
These restomods are remixes.
They take old material, combine it with something new – mechanically, aesthetically, culturally – and deliver something more than the sum of the parts. It’s Elton John joining up with Dua Lipa and PNAU to lovingly reimagine his back catalogue.
By remembering, refreshing and recontextualising history, these cars access new audiences in a way that the originals might never achieve.
Purists weep, of course, and the legal hedging at the bottom of Singer's website brings to mind the legal battles over music sampling in the 80s and 90s. They want everyone in their orbit to play nice, for fear of falling foul of Zuffenhausen's lawyers.
But the language used by Singer and other restomodders also indicates a deep reverence for the well from which they draw, which should make them interesting to the original manufacturers.
Electrification, digitisation, and legislation will see many OEMs lose the battle to keep their new cars characterful. Some well-chosen restomod collaborations might help keep the old flame alive.
For me?
Although they stretch the definition of restomods, I'll take the Hôtel de Crillon Citroens.
Oh, and Grace Jones singing La Vie En Rose.