Monday, August 9, 2010

What is a Restomod anyway?

Okay, so the project is well on the way but it looks like it will be a total teardown. I was thinking about what a “restomod” is, in my head it means that someone is restoring something but modifying its original design to suit the needs of the current owner. I make no claims to being any kind of expert on any subject so I looked up the word. A dictionary defined it as:
Restomod (res'-tow-mod) n. 1. The act or habit of altering a motorvehicle in such a way as to increase performance, reliability, style, or comfort exceeding the original manufacturer's design. 2. A method by which impotent or otherwise personality-challenged owners gain respect from similarly lacking individuals within the community.

I did not like the dictionary version or the definition that accumulated in my head as the result of watching too many car shows and auctions, so I came up with the definition which best applies to my Shasta rebuild project:
Restomod-Restored and modernized to suit the need of the current owner (me).
I arrived at this definition for a couple of reasons; first, I wanted to keep the trailer as original as possible. But as the Shasta was coming apart it became pretty clear these trailers were built for the masses and some major modifications to the structure and set up hardware will be necessary to make this trailer safe, rugged, and comfortable so that it will last for another 50+ years. Second, even though they might look cool, the functionality and efficiency of some of the parts such as the refrigerator are in my humble opinion not up to par. As such, these are the areas where I expect to make the biggest changes.

No comments:

Post a Comment