Not Period Correct – Not Sorry

Personally, I don’t stress about keeping cars ‘period correct’ or all-original. I love the retro feel… but give me restomod performance every time.

Because let’s be honest – have you ever actually driven a bone stock 1969 Mustang? In our minds it’s an unbridled legend. But in reality, it’s like piloting a boat. The brakes respond in 3-5 business days, the steering is more of a suggestion than a command, and body-roll is so dramatic you feel like you’re trying to herd a tipsy cow through a canyon road. Nostalgia is one of the greatest emotions. But you can’t experience it if your car’s in the garage on trickle-charge while you drive a ’23 crew-cab whatever everyday. 

Restomods – the perfect blend of the ages…

If you approach it right, you can preserve the attitude & nostalgic-value of a car – while also improving it. Keep the soul & spirit intact. But give the car the wishlist of things the original engineers would’ve given it… had those things been available at the time. Modern suspension that can cut corners like a cat on carpet. And modern brakes that don’t make you sweat the light turning yellow. It’s all about being able to actually drive the car. Not just tiptoe it out of the garage twice a year on a special Sunday. But actually drive it. Hard. Regularly… with more confidence & less anxiety.

There are companies building restomods (and even replicas) to modern standards…

Take Singer, for example… 

Singer has turned the Porsche 911 into functional modern art WHILE keeping its heritage/soul/era fully intact. To some, cutting up a vintage Porsche is sacrilege. But then you see a Singer Porsche in person – with its absolutely perfect proportions & painfully flawless attention to detail. And suddenly the purist argument collapses under the weight of a modern legend & that flat-six howl.

Then there’s Jensen International Automotive… 

They take old Jensen Interceptors – the kind of car your rich old uncle probably bought before realizing he couldn’t afford the upkeep. And they breathe new life into them with modern engines, electronics, and reliability. 

Same deal with Eagle’s reimagined Jaguar E-Types. 

The original E-Type is still one of the most beautiful silhouettes ever penned… but drive one stock and it’s terrifying. Eagle gives you the beauty & the engineering, so you don’t have to choose between being stylish and surviving.

American shops are also on it… 

All across America, custom shops are specializing in modernizing 1st-gen Camaros, Mustangs, Broncos, and other domestic icons. You can spec one with 600 horsepower, modern brake/suspension systems, and air-conditioning that doesn’t just wheeze cold-ish air at you. Heck, you can even get Bluetooth behind period-correct radio knobs.

One of my dream cars is a 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302… 

But here’s the thing: I wouldn’t want it “as it rolled off the assembly line.” Nah. Drop in a Voodoo 5.2L V8 – the same screaming flat-plane crank monster from the GT350 – mated to a Tremec TR-3160 6-speed. Bolt it to modern suspension with coilovers, updated geometry, thick sticky tires, and brakes that don’t require divine intervention. Do you think the guys who built it in ’69 would look at that car and say, “Awe man you ruined it.” Lol I don’t. Keep the shape, the heritage, the attitude of the era… but tighten the screws on it. Let yesteryear & today play together live in concert… to make the car as good to drive as it is to reminisce on. For me, that’s my sweet spot. Respecting & celebrating the past, but not being shackled by it.

I know there are purists out there who disagree…

I understand purists thrive on the numbers-matching engine, untouched interior, factory paint code, the whole nine yards. And I respect that. I really do. Museums need those cars. History needs those cars. But I don’t. Because to me, cars aren’t artifacts – they’re experiences. They’re meant to be driven, felt, tinkered with, and yes – improved. If that means putting coilovers on a ‘60s coupe or shoving an LS into a Jaguar… so be it. If you can’t enjoy your car without worrying about ‘ruining the value’, are you really enjoying it at all? Now to be clear – if I stumbled on a surviving all-original car, obviously that wouldn’t be the one to cut up. But if I’m able to bring an old car back to life through the modern aftermarket – I’ll do it with no hesitation or remorse. You’re not ruining a car… you’re saving one from ruin. 

For me, cars are meant to be driven, experienced, and shared with the world…

They’re rolling time machines – representing their eras through 4 of the 5 senses (sight, smell, sound, and touch). I respect the guys keeping the rarest examples for the Pebble Beach crowd. But that’s not my lane. If I’ve got a classic, it’s gonna be enjoyed, upgraded, and maybe even ‘ruined’ in the eyes of the purists. That’s fine. Because while they’re busy polishing their originality certificates, I’ll be rowing gears, turning laps, or blasting down the backroads in a machine that looks like yesteryear, but drives more like today.

Article by David S. Windsor