Automotive Business Magazine – Q3 2026 – Digital edition - Flipbook - Page 85
FEATURE
RESTOMODS
Above: The full
range of Eagle
special edition
E-Types.
Photo: James Lipman
Left: Eagle’s Alison
trims leather ready
for an E-Type
interior
Bottom: The fully
retrimmed interior
of an Eagle Spyder
GT.
Photo: Dean Smith
Restomods may have been responsible
for bringing classic cars to new
audiences, but they remain just that:
classic cars.
Roper says: “Insuring restomods is
similar to insuring a classic. Usually
owned and driven by car enthusiasts
who are passionate about their vehicles,
Hagerty UK treats restomod drivers as
similar profiles to classic car owners.
“Restomods are cool. They bring a new
audience to the market, the cars are
getting better and better and doing this
sees more and more classics live a long
and useful life.
"Consider it similar to owning an old
cottage: you love its charm, but still
want modern convenience hidden away
to make life more comfortable. When
done sympathetically, with an option to
reverse, there is little to worry about."
Many buyers of restomods also
have modern supercars, and find that
the general public views them much
more favourably when out in their
restomod, compared with modern highperformance vehicles.
Modernising and EV-converting a
classic is not just a way to keep the
Green Party happy, either. It can help
turn a garage queen into a car that is
actually driven and enjoyed. Even as
some restomod manufacturers and
OEMs walk back EV-only commitments,
Lunny thinks the advantages are clear as
ever: “It's not even about sustainability.
It's just a better powertrain.”
Restomods are no longer a new idea.
They have proven their desirability.
But, even as more enter the market,
more affordable cars are unlikely to be
among them.
Brace says: “It's good to see so many
other people doing it, giving people the
choice. It's just frustrating that it's such
an expensive business.
"You look on social media when
somebody would come out with a
restomod, and there's a lot of comments
about, ‘oh another unaffordable car,
another car that we can only ever dream
about’. Well, the cost is a direct result of
the time that goes into it, and the parts.”
Although some take issue with the
cost, the role of the restomod is clear:
improving on already great cars,
widening their appeal, and reimagining
them for modern audiences.
Q3 2026
AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESS
85
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