[barra]

Scott's raining on my parade with the awful truth I don't want to hear.

I want to pretend with a later model engine swap it will have modern performance and reliability and with fresh rubbers and carpet etc it will be comfortable...  I'm kidding myself

[mondi]

Scott's raining on my parade with the awful truth I don't want to hear.

I want to pretend with a later model engine swap it will have modern performance and reliability and with fresh rubbers and carpet etc it will be comfortable...  I'm kidding myself

Yep.


If you want a reliable classic car and this is just IMO and I will probably get flamed......

Do a Resto Mod Stang or Camaro or something like that, fit modern steering/suspension, brakes, there is a lot of scope now days in the interior as well. Fit a crate motor and trans. My old girl was great to drive, never had any issues like having to wait for a tow truck. She was comfortable to drive and was exciting when you wanted her to be. All in a classic body.

[360c]

I have had the same thoughts about the 69-73 but yet to drive 1 or get serious enough to bother going to drive 1.

The 356 is just not nice to drive.
I get allot of enjoyment out of my son playing in the "wiggle big red car" as it is red.
I get allot of enjoyment from seeing it sit in my fathers garage

My father drives it allot and enjoys it, but the only time he has ever gone for a spirited drive was in my turbo in the targa. He is overly mechanically sympathetic therefore the older cars do suit him.

I think the only one I would be interested in driving allot would be the early shape but engine, breaks and gearbox from the 993 in it, best of both worlds. like the singers www.singervehicledesign.com

I'm with you on the Singer Porkers mate, they really sound like my idea of a usable classic. I have watched every video on them that I could find and it seems that each one is better than the last. That does set off some warning bells though as it seems like they are a product under development with R & D being funded by the customer. The Singer Porkers are anything up to $500k US and for that sort of money I would want a fully developed and reliable car that had no issues that still required "a bit of work" to get right.
I am watching with interest to see what these sell for on the second hand market. The Americanresto rods that Mondi refers to cop an absolute pasting come resale time. I wonder if the Singers will be recognised as something unique and special or just another resto rod that is able to be bought 2nd hand for a fraction of the first owners investment in them. Perhaps the ultra low production numbers will put a floor under the Singers values, time will tell I guess.

[360c]

Scott's raining on my parade with the awful truth I don't want to hear.

I want to pretend with a later model engine swap it will have modern performance and reliability and with fresh rubbers and carpet etc it will be comfortable...  I'm kidding myself

Maybe not, different strokes for different folks as they say.
I go through periods where I get all excited about OHOS classics and then I go off them after a Tassie tour or something like that in a modern car. If the options for using a modern exotic became so limited that they were only good for cafe cruising, I would probably gravitate back towards the classics as a preference. The big plus with them is that you can have a lot of fun without exceeding speed limits. The modern exotics are so insanely fast and powerful that you need to be going at warp factor 10 before it gets interesting and challenging to drive them.

One older classic that I would love to own one day is a 5000 QV Countach. Forget all the stupid road tests and reviews that you may have read as they are actually great to drive and visibility etc isn't any worse than any mid engined V12 of the era. They are so much better than the Testarossa it's not funny, just a big go kart with outrageous looks and sounds to die for. I wouldn't buy one at todays inflated prices; but if the right fully sorted example came up down the road I could see myself adding one to the collection.
Apart from the Countach, everything else of interest is absolute moon money……… 250 GTO, 250 SWB, 330 P4, 250 SWB California etc, etc, etc. Never going to happen in other words.

[mondi]

The Americanresto rods that Mondi refers to cop an absolute pasting come resale time.

Not necessarily, it depends on the make, model, etc, etc. And also if you are going to use it. I wouldn't be doing one if it was just going to be sold. But if you are going to keep it for a while and enjoy, I have found that I haven't lost money on them. In some cases made a modest profit.

There is so much available now and it's not expensive. It's not like even 10 years ago where you had to make a lot of stuff yourself or pay big money to get one off parts made. You can deck out a 60's Resto Rod for under $20k, modern suspension, brakes, steering, crate motor and Trans.....the biggest expense is always going to be panel and paint. 

[360c]

Not necessarily, it depends on the make, model, etc, etc. And also if you are going to use it. I wouldn't be doing one if it was just going to be sold. But if you are going to keep it for a while and enjoy, I have found that I haven't lost money on them. In some cases made a modest profit.

There is so much available now and it's not expensive. It's not like even 10 years ago where you had to make a lot of stuff yourself or pay big money to get one off parts made. You can deck out a 60's Resto Rod for under $20k, modern suspension, brakes, steering, crate motor and Trans.....the biggest expense is always going to be panel and paint.

It's hard to believe you could do all that for $20k, or is that paint costs on top of the $20k mechanical mods?

I subscribe to Sports Car Market which reports on the classic car auction market. Every Yanky resto rod I see seems to sell for 50 cents on the dollar or less. Most of them seem to be "last nut and bolt" jobs though, so perhaps it depends on how far you go on the project.

[M500]

Not necessarily, it depends on the make, model, etc, etc. And also if you are going to use it. I wouldn't be doing one if it was just going to be sold. But if you are going to keep it for a while and enjoy, I have found that I haven't lost money on them. In some cases made a modest profit.

There is so much available now and it's not expensive. It's not like even 10 years ago where you had to make a lot of stuff yourself or pay big money to get one off parts made. You can deck out a 60's Resto Rod for under $20k, modern suspension, brakes, steering, crate motor and Trans.....the biggest expense is always going to be panel and paint.

It would be awesome to have a '60s muscle car with modern suspension, etc and with a Nelson a Racing Engine setup. Google them to see some of the videos.

[mondi]

It's hard to believe you could do all that for $20k, or is that paint costs on top of the $20k mechanical mods?

I subscribe to Sports Car Market which reports on the classic car auction market. Every Yanky resto rod I see seems to sell for 50 cents on the dollar or less. Most of them seem to be "last nut and bolt" jobs though, so perhaps it depends on how far you go on the project.

Sorry that's $20k for Steering, Suspension, brakes, crate motor, etc, etc. Panel and paint will be at least another $20k or more depending on the condition of the body.

But yeah I know what you mean, a lot of guys go seriously overboard on the restos, so they will never get their money back and a lot of them are cheque book restorers which means they are paying for every hour that goes into the job. Can get very expensive that way. Just been involved in a Hot Rod project which is well into the second hundred thousand, there will be no way known the guy will get even half of that back but it's what his dream is and what he wants and he has no intention of selling ever, and he doesn't need to(unless things go completely pear shaped of course).

One could argue that I put a lot of hours into these projects which I don't take into account which is correct, but it is a means of relaxation and gets me out of the office and house(read: away from wife and kids).   

So yeah there is always two sides.   

[mondi]

It would be awesome to have a '60s muscle car with modern suspension, etc and with a Nelson a Racing Engine setup. Google them to see some of the videos.

Hahaha, insane!

I used a 4Lt Lexus V8 in a Hot Rod once, got laughed at but man was it crazy!   

[Condor Man]

I have owned them and Scott is right in everything he states, they are interesting and attractive to look at. But being old gives them that feeling of being uncomfortable and unreliable.

One could always buy a 964 - 911, back date it and then drop a 3.8L in it plus do suspension and brakes and it would be your owner Singer style car for circa $100k.