Restoring classic models with modern features and finishes has become a lucrative business
Classic supercars or exclusive editions have become an investment asset as attractive as art or real estate. For this reason, there are many who pamper to the extreme their four-wheeled collector’s items.
However, we have seen countless cases in which these museum pieces have been abused and abandoned to their fate in sheds and even forgotten in open fields in the middle of nowhere. For them, restoration is the only option to recover their past splendor. However, if it is a Lamborghini, do not ask them to change even the smallest screw with respect to the original. The answer will be a resounding no.
Retro modernity
Retro is more fashionable than ever. The new Renault 5 electric is the best example of this, retaining the essence and style of the models that were manufactured in the 70s and 80s, but with that refreshingly futuristic air that is making it a best seller in France.
Following this trend, there are many modification workshops that take charge of restoring classic cars that are in a deplorable state, adding different electronic features, screens or accessories that were not included in the original models.
In response to the growing interest in classic cars and restorations that increase their value, Lamborghini created its Polo Storico division more than a decade ago. However, for some it will be tempting to drive a classic supercar, but with the performance and comforts of a modern car. Given the rise of customization in luxury supercars, many millionaires would surely pay a fortune for a “restomod” edition of a classic Lamborghini.
It’s not just a car, it’s a legacy
However, for Lamborghini, that concept is nothing less than sacrilege. Giuliano Cassataro, head of service at Polo Storico, stated to The Drive that “for us, there is only one Countach. There were different series of the Countach, but we are not allowed to change anything about the car. It was born in that year, with this color, with this configuration and with this interior, and it must be as it was.”
As my colleague Alberto de la Torre saw for himself, the aim of Polo Storico is to enable Lamborghini owners to restore their cars to their original factory condition. Another of the division’s missions is to certify that the brand’s classics have not undergone modifications to their original parts that could alter their value.
For Lamborghini technicians, modifying one of these classics to offer a new vision would be like reinventing history. For this reason, they do not hesitate to dip into their documentary archive so that the restoration of classic models is carried out meticulously. After restoration, the cars return to the same condition as when they left the production line: same colors, same materials and same finishes.
Other brands such as Jaguar and Porsche are playing the “restmod” card, creating new limited editions of their classic cars to create a new exclusive collector’s item with a unique finish for which customers can pay up to twice what the original model cost.
In fact, these special editions are bringing in substantial profits for luxury car manufacturers, who have found in the customization of their cars a way to increase the final bill.
But at Lamborghini, they already consider each of their cars to be unique in itself. An example of the work of this restoration division was the Lamborghini Miura SVR, which the brand “rescued” from extinction to bring back to life in top form fifty years later.
Instead, the people of Sant’Agata Bolognese prefer to reimagine what some of their most iconic models would be like if they had been born a few decades later, with tributes to their legacy such as the Aventador Miura Homage.
