One of the many beloved car enthusiast activities is reminiscing of an automotive era gone by. Though it's different for each of us, we all love to remember what cars used to be like in the 60s, the 90s, the 2000s, or any other decade for that matter. Today, times have changed massively. Cars are becoming more and more digital, internal combustion engines are being phased out slowly but surely, and the visceral feeling of older performance cars is very difficult to find nowadays.
Possibly the best solution to this problem is a restomod. In this context, a restomod is a classic car that has been modernized ever so slightly, but not so much that it loses the original character. If anything, it improves upon it. Some of today's restomods are undeniably the best modern interpretations of the classic cars that they're based on or inspired by.
9 Eagle E-Type
Eagle wasn't exactly well-known in the automotive community, until season 17 of Top Gear in 2011, where Jeremy Clarkson drove the finest example of the breed; the E-Type Speedster. In truth, Eagle is a restoration service, and they can work on all kinds of E-Types, but the Speedster and the Low Drag GT are their own little special projects.
Under the hood of the body to die for is a modernized version of the E-Type's familiar inline-6, stroked to 4.7 liters and fitted with fuel injection. The interior has also been modernized and revamped, and it's safe to say that both of Eagle's special projects are a joy to drive.
8 Guntherwerks 400R
We have to hand it to Guntherwerks, as they've entered one of the most competitive parts of the restomod market; air-cooled Porsches. Instead of tackling vintage 911 models, Guntherwerks has turned their attention to the 993, the last of the air-cooled models. On paper, it looks like a dream come true.
Both the exterior and interior are thoroughly modernized, but they still keep the original aesthetic. Under the engine cover out back sits a naturally-aspirated flat 6 with 431 hp and 312 lb-ft of torque, driving the rear wheels exclusively. Most of the bodywork is actually carbon fiber, entailing a minuscule weight of around 2,600 lbs.
7 Legende Automobiles Turbo 3
New to the restomod party is Legende Automobiles. Founded by three people with a shared passion, the Turbo 3 is their modern reimagination of the legendary Renault 5 Turbo. Even though it looks mostly the same on the outside, it's very easy to tell that this is not any regular R5 Turbo. We use the term "regular" loosely.
The Turbo 3 gets a new set of wheels, full LED headlights and taillights, and a new interior with a color-matched phone holder and, get this, air conditioning. No words on the powertrain or price just yet, but we suspect both will be quite noteworthy.
6 Singer 911 DLS
Undeniably, the biggest player in the air-cooled Porsche restomod scene currently is Singer Vehicle Design. At first, they lightly retouched and modernized classic air-cooled 911s, mostly of the 930 and 964 generation. But, in 2019, all of their skills, engineering and experience culminated in this; the 911 Dynamics & Lightweighting Study.
While air-cooled Porsche enthusiasts are very difficult to swing, even they will agree that this is the crème de la crème of the air-cooled 911; truly the ultimate version. As well as the gorgeous body, the 911 DLS hides a bespoke air-cooled flat 6 developed jointly with engine veterans Williams Engineering.
5 RML Engineering SWB
Let's say you're after one of Ferrari's (many) 250 derivatives, but you want one that's more modern, possibly more reliable and a good deal cheaper. Well, RML Engineering might have the answer in the form of the gorgeous SWB.
Although it still only exists in the world of 3D renders, the SWB definitely looks like a worthy tribute to Ferrari's 250 SWB. RML says that a 450-hp Ferrari V12 will drive the rear wheels through a gated 6-speed manual transmission. Only 30 units will be made worldwide, and while it almost certainly won't come cheap, it might just undercut the 250 SWB.
4 Automobili Amos Lancia Delta Futurista
The dream of enthusiast Eugenio Amos finally comes true in the form of the Lancia Delta Futurista. Underneath all the new bodywork, it's still based on the original AWD rally wonder, but it's been thoroughly modernized and put on a diet thanks to substantial usage of carbon fiber.
It was also converted to a three-door as opposed to a five-door, because "why not?". Amos' words. The Futurista weighs around 2,700 lbs, and the four-cylinder engine has been boosted to 330 hp, which sends its power through a beefed up transmission.
3 Alfaholics GTA-R
The 105-series Alfa Romeo Giulia is often considered to be one of the best Italian compacts of all time. UK company Alfaholics seems to agree, and they've given several Giulias of that vintage a new lease of life that they've never seen before.
All you have to do is take a regular 105-series Giulia to Alfaholics, and they'll do the full GTA-R conversion for you. They don't leave a single stone unturned, and you end up with a Giulia that feels as good to drive as cars can possibly get.
2 David Brown Automotive Mini Remastered
The original Mini definitely deserves its spot as one of the top automotive icons of all time. Thanks to its cool styling and its ingenious packaging and innovations, the Mini has always been the quintessential small car. It's no surprise that many companies restore and modify classic Minis.
David Brown Automotive, based in the UK, has taken a slightly different approach to the remastered Mini. It's thoroughly modernized in every aspect, and each example is handcrafted for the customer, like with any restomod. And just like any well-built restomod, it doesn't come cheap; it costs about the same, or even more, that a pristine 1959 or 60s Mini would cost you.
1 Volvo P1800 Cyan
The name Cyan might not be all that familiar. Cyan Racing is Volvo's racing division, and what used to be known as Polestar before it became Volvo's performance EV division. Aside from setting track records with lightly modified Lynk & Co cars, Cyan Racing recently fettled with Volvo's iconic sports coupe; the P1800.
It's a very special one-off, designed to be as capable and as dynamically visceral as possible. We think they achieved that. It also gets all new running gear, a wider body, center lock wheels and that awesome blue paint. Should Cyan Racing launch a P1800 restomodding service? We think so.