I was watching Barrett Jackson car auction this week. An interesting thing was some of the classic cars had been upgraded and were bringing some pretty good prices. Many of these cars were base models upgraded to copy a higher performance model. So they were not real SS’s or GT’s. And most of these cars had upgraded brakes, suspension, etc. Surprisingly they were bringing some pretty good money. Made me wonder what a real SS or GT would be bringing at the auction. One of the sellers labeled his car as enhanced. I get that. I would much rather have a classic car that was enhanced or upgraded than one that was stock. Better brakes or horsepower or suspension makes the car a better driver, more fun and more desirable. Drum brakes were a bad idea when these cars were new. Today, no new cars have drum brakes.
3 thoughts on “Enhanced Car”
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I couldn’t agree with you more. If the car’s intended to be a ‘time capsule’, and simply preserve what it was when stock, then by all means, keep the original drums, etc.
But for any car that is actually driven, it makes good sense to improve what can be changed, without destroying the spirit of the original. Using better fuel systems, ignition, brakes, tires – heck, even a good alignment for radial tires and a tuneup can make a tremendous difference in driveability and safety.
I try to retain the stock appearance of my ’67 Mercury Cougar, but mechanically, it’s vastly superior to the original. It still has the classic charm, but has almost double the original power, while getting about 10 MPG better mileage. Stopping and handling are also greatly improved. My sound system is stereo, with AM/FM, Bluetooth, and MP3 capability, but still looks like the original AM radio that came with the car. Because it is the original AM radio that came with the car.
My take? These cars, whether stock or upgraded, are a time machine for people to enjoy. The style is something we’ll never see again, and the mechanical nature of these cars is vastly different from the nanny-state electronically controlled vehicles of today. Upgrading things that most people don’t even understand, in a way that leaves the spirit of the original car the same? That’s a win, for me.
Well said. Thanks for leaving your comments.
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I was talking with a friend recently. The topic focused on Street Rods. The local group holds an annual car show and the newest car that can attend is a 1965. Street Rods are cars older than 1965. Most of these cars are upgraded. Better suspension, braking, engines, etc. Auto technology from those years is pretty obsolete.
Many of us are doing the same thing with 60’s cars. The new street rods. Some people are calling them restromods.
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