E3, the video game industry’s largest annual trade show, took place last week. This year’s show brought a whole bunch of interesting debuts and the official announcement that Final Fantasy VIII is getting remastered. Square Enix stunned gamers with remastered versions of VII, IX, X, and XII last year, simply for their existence but also because they released for all current gaming platforms, not just the Playstation 4. VIII wasn’t among the first cohort, and many speculated that its divisive reputation nixed any chances of it being updated. Turns out it just took the company a bit longer to complete than the others.
This got me thinking about what I’d like to see in remastered versions of old cars.
The key thing to understand about the remastered Final Fantasy games is that they’re not total reinventions of the originals. The Playstation era games are upgraded visually and some quality of life features were introduced, but otherwise they look and play exactly the same as they did twenty years ago. I’ll apply that same logic to the updated cars. No reinvention of their exterior designs, just some upgraded components.
My remastered Taurus would swap out the old powertrains for newer units. For traditions sake, the replacements could even have the same displacement as the original engines. The 2.5 liter four cylinder that’s currently in the Fusion could be the base engine, and it would be more than adequate to power the bull, as the 175 horsepower/torque figure outperforms the original iteration of the 3.0 liter Vulcan V6. And the optional engine could in fact be a V6 with a displacement of three liters, as Ford currently produces the EcoBoost 3.0 for multiple vehicles. I have no idea what horsepower a naturally aspirated variant of that engine would make, but anything over 220 would top the horsepower of the original SHO. I would also be fine with the 1.5 liter or 2.0 liter EcoBoost engines. And I guess any of these would be mated to Ford’s six speed automatic.
Is there anything else I would do? Maybe update the exterior and interior lights with LED units. And also incorporate a modern audio system into the build. Otherwise, that’s it.
And speaking of EcoBoost engines, how about a Fox body Mustang with one thrown in? There is apparently at least one Fox body running around with a 2.3 liter EcoBoost in it. But why stop there? Perhaps a 3.5 liter EcoBoost with the Raptor’s 450 horsepower and 510 Ib-ft of torque would work? Heck, even the smaller ones would make sense. And if turbos aren’t your thing, why not the 3.7 liter that was recently in the newer Mustangs?
I could also envision a Fiero with a modern powertrain. I like every variant of the Fiero, but my top pick would be a 1988 GT due to the suspension upgrades, so let’s start there. Ideally, something like a supercharged 3800 Series II would work, but that engine has been out of production for a while now. Perhaps the 2.0 liter “LTG” four cylinder turbo that’s in a number of current GM vehicles would suffice. Minimum output is about 250 horsepower and 260 Ib-ft of torque, figures that make it an adequate replacement for the 4.9 liter Cadillac V8 that seems to be the de facto engine swap option for Fiero owners.
Anyway, those are my desired “remastered” cars. What are yours?
The Frontline Developments MGB looks pretty nice.
Exactly my thoughts, their resto mod MGB GT, the Le 50 is a lovely car.
For both Taurus and Sable: I liked the styling of the ’92-’95 cars, and the seats were very comfortable. The 3.8 V6, though, needs to go, replaced by something with the same low-end torque that was a good feature of that engine. Fragile head gasket syndrome, though, I can do without. We never had trouble with the transmission, but there’s been a lot of progress since our ’93 Sable. I’d like a durable, problem-free HVAC system; our Sable went through at least three compressors. And I would hope that the power window controls would have been improved by now. As our ’93 aged, the windows became more and more unpredictable as to whether they would work. And I wouldn’t mind a sound system that sounds as smooth and effortless as the one in our ’09 Camry!
Fiero would be pretty nice.
I know it’s hokey or hackneyed to say among some groups of enthusiasts but how about a Box B-Body, say a Olds 88 sedan with a current gen 5.0 V8? Should make an easy under-stressed 375 hp through a 10 speed auto. Give it a companion early 90s (pre Areo) Grand Marquis for competition.
Those fantasies are stemming from being about to take a trip from Gallup, NM to Nashville, TN to Columbus, OH and back again all by car.
Best possible remastered car would be an 80 up GM B-body full-size coupe, made of modern rust resistant steel, with a recent pre-cylinder deactivation GM pickup V8. Space, visibility, 300 some hp and mid 20s fuel economy. All around perfect.
My experience with box B bodys is that they’re generally inferior in every way to the C/H fwds of the 90s.
It’s basically a frame to mount a completely different set of newer parts.
A Sterling 825 remastered with actual Honda reliability.
Likewise, but I’d actually prefer an 827. (I wouldn’t ever go back to a car without a hatch, unless it was a convertible.)
Merkur XR4Ti with the underpinnings of a new Mustang GT!
I think I would take a 69 Camaro Indy Pace Car, and do a powertrain ugrade with a 392 Hellcat/stick from a Challenger, then swap in the Challenger’s front and rear suspension, brakes, its body/structure stiffening and its safety restraint system. Oh hell, I’ll just crush the Chevy and drive the Challenger. 🙂
Seriously, I am not sure a remastered vehicle interests me. Part of what I find cool about old cars is the obsolete engineering and old-school driving experience, inferior though it may be to modern stuff.
That would be cool to see.
However one guy did an extreme remastered makover by turning a J-body Pontiac Sunfire into a GTO.
https://www.hotrod.com/articles/hppp-1303-1995-pontiac-sunfire/
If it’s possible to give a 2002-2005 Ford Thunderbird a real engine (like a modern Coyote V8 – I guess you could use the EcoBoost, but it’s not my thing), a real transmission (torn between the current Mustang’s manual and automatic) and an interior that isn’t a mess of black plastic, I’d drive it. Some suspension upgrades from the current Mustang’s parts bin might help, too. It would be quite the sleeper.
Same goes for the 1992-2002 Cadillac Eldorado. AWD and a ZL1 engine, perhaps? (And please don’t mention the TwinStar.)
Its hard to top the job Dodge did with the Challenger. It looks great and Hellcats, Demons and Redeyes are the quickest cars EVER built.
For an actual old car with a modern drivetrain, as ubiquitous as LS swaps have become, its hard to beat this one
https://www.racingjunk.com/news/2018/02/28/video-three-pedals-pontiac-station-wagon-is-a-sleeper/
A big +1! Lt. Dan, you read my mind, I was thinking a B-body wagon with a modern LS1 swap would be my pick. That is one sweet Safari wagon! I loved my B-body wagons, they were awesome highway machines, super versatile, and even around town were pretty easy to wheel around. With the old 5.0L V8’s and OD transmissions they got good mileage too, but there was no power (especially with the 307’s). Add an LS engine and you’d get decent power and MPG’s.
W124 with a modern, fuel efficient engine and upgraded safety features.
These guys are already doing it with Mustangs, but WOW are they pricey…
https://revologycars.com/
Otherwise, I’d love to see a PLC again, my favorites of course were the Aero and MN-12 T-Birds (Full Disclosure: I am biased because I’ve had more than a few of these cars). Drop that Coyote engine in one of those, or maybe just the 3.7L V6 out of my Dad’s 2014 Mustang would be good enough to move one of them along quite nicely.
‘Pricey’ isn’t an accurate description for those Revology Mustangs. I think ‘cardiac arrest inducing’ might be more appropriate. But they are very nice. A basic 1968 fastback Bullitt clone would be terrific but you’d really pay for that turn-key experience.
Yeah, pricey really is an understatement since what Revology is charging puts these new/old Mustangs in exotic car territory.
And I thought of another power train for my ‘remastered’ T-Bird, of course this is kind of a no-brainer…
An ’88 Turbo-Coupe with the EcoBoost 2.3L out of the Mustang, rather than that Lump-o-Lima that these cars had in them. In other words, “Not your father’s 2.3 Liter Turbo”. ;o)
I suppose you could supercharge that 3.7L V6 for a new MN-12 SC as well.
An EcoBoost in a Fox-chassis Turbo Coupe sounds like a terrific remaster. Might even be better than a Coyote swap, as well as not too difficult to perform, either.
Coyote would make it like any other coyote swapped foxbody. EB 2.3 would be perfect, right down to matching displacements. Foxbodies don’t have the best chassis engineering, that’s why 99.9% of modified ones are setup for drag racing, but with a lightweight engine up front and subsequent lighter overall weight they don’t require reinventing the wheel with thousands of dollars worth of tubular components to compensate for a heavy V8.
Plus it’s always disappointing to me seeing a turbo coupe badge on the fender only to find a NA V8 under the hood. “You couldn’t find a LX to do this to???”
Indeed, Matt… and those LX(s) are out there with the 302… I had one!
It looked just like this car….
The issue probably isn’t being able to find an LX (most of which I would imagine already had a 302 from the factory) but that the 2.3L in the Turbo-Coupe was probably shot and, rather than trying to dig up a more appropriate EcoBoost, most guys went the much simpler, cheaper route of slapping a 5.0 into the Turbo-Coupe.
I don’t agree with it, but I do understand the logic.
My re-mastered dream car is a TR 6 completely rebuilt with all the bad bits removed, lots of good bits added along with a BMW M driveline. It turns out someone built one.
http://www.davintosh.com/2011/08/30/bmwotd-triumph-tr6-bmw-m3-driveline/
An LM (as in late model, ‘65 to ‘69) Corvair with fuel injection, a modern automatic, four wheel discs with ABS, and modern safety features and creature comforts.
I’d appreciate one of the most beautifully designed sedans ever, the NSU Ro80, with a Mazda RX-8 rotary.
I like your way of thinking.
Given that the Ro80 was a car designed in the 60s, with styling and engineering competitive with cars from the mid 80s, I find 1980s electronic music is the perfect soundtrack for this car.
Alan Parsons ‘Mammagamma’ comes to mind:
Excellent choice of music for this car!
To be honest I never really liked the idea of remasters, be it video games, music or movies. I go out of my way to find original pressings of things because I want the as-is production they represent at the time. Cars are no different really, I’m a hot rodder by nature so it isn’t about preservation in this case, but I know when I “update” something, I often immediately change it to something else or just go back to what I originally had. It’s funny because I have a few original and remastered albums from bands I listen to and sometimes it’s nice to hear a clearer vocal I never picked up or a cool bassline that was previously inaudible but I always find a certain naturalness to gritty production that adds an atmosphere, I just am repelled by the idea of “modern refined perfection”. So that rules out a lot of traditional restomodiness for me, I don’t want a 71 Mustang that accelerates and handles like a S550 with cupholders. I’d want a 71 Mustang with a souped up Cleveland with slapped bars and a ash tray(I don’t even smoke!), but that’s not exactly a remaster, that’s merely akin to adjusting the levels.
That said, Pacer with a Mazda rotary. Not necessarily good, definitely not modern, but it’s the intended execution on a car that the producers mucked up.
With a Mazda rotary in place, I think I’d be cutting up the firewall, floorpan and transmission tunnel, and taking back some of the space that had to be sacrificed to fit the six in place.
A red and white two tone 1996 F-150 with either the 2.7tt or the current 5.0 V8, the 10speed trans and today’s safety engineering and offerings. Bench seat is fine, make it red.
today’s safety engineering and offerings…
Very important, those trucks were terrible in crash tests. Wouldn’t let my wife even ride in mine when she was pregnant.
That seems to be a recurring theme in this thread. Unfortunately, real safety engineering is not just added on electronic nannies, but real structural differences that you cannot add to an old body and chassis.
Well, even 1967 Volvos had crumple zones and three-point belts and 4-wheel disc brakes. Could put a modern drivetrain in one of those, no?
“Crumple zones” then were an advance, but the cheapest entry level car today has high strength steel and far more advanced structure. My point is that things like three-point belts and 4-wheel disc brakes (or anti-lock, etc.) are not going to do it. Better than typical old Detroit iron, but still not up to modern standards.
A friend did take a Volvo 144 and drop in a Ford 302/C-4 powertrain decades ago.
For the purpose of this thread, I would put a modern Subaru engine in a VW bus, but I dont know how to make it “safe” by modern standards.
Of course you can, it’s called a full roll cage, racing seats and 6 point harness.
1) 1970-73 Camaro with ANY LS over 5.3L and 6L80E automatic or Tremec T-56.
2) 1971-73 Vega with 2.4 Ecotec or 3.6 V6 and 6L45E automatic or T-56. Also 5-lug wheels and better brakes.
3) ’94-’96 Impala SS with LS3 and 8L90E automatic.
A Chevette with the Ecotec drivetrain would be kind of cool.
Fiat Dino 2.4 Coupe and Alfa Romeo Berlina 1750, both with galvanised bodywork and resto modded in a Singer Porsche manner.
There is a friend in Arizona who has sort of this in a ’56 Nomad – but it is not quite subtle enough for me.
Mine would be a base ’57 Ford two door wagon – that’s a Ranch Wagon, not a Del Rio. Paint one tone in a pastel and non-metallic color from back then – light blue or light green. Crank windows. No air. Black rubber floor mats. AM radio with buttons. Original as possible seat upholstery. Steel wheels with dog dish Ford caps and blackwalls.
But: disc brakes all around; radials; modern fuel injected Ford V-8 (a modular 4.6 from a ten year old Mustang would be fine); Tremec 5 speed manual with a discreet floor mounted shifter; modern lighting; modern three point harnesses.
I guess this is a “resto-rod”; I don’t know. But I have been thinking about this car for at least fifteen years.
One could remaster pretty much any vehicle with powertrain, suspension, and safety upgrades of the newer cars. 15 years ago, I saw a ‘57 Ford for sale. Looked totally stock…but had a 302 V8, Mustang II front suspension, and power disc brake upgrades. What an awesome daily driver that’d be, I thought. That was 15 years ago.
However, while we’re “remastering” the cars of yesteryear, let’s not trash talk them too much? Of course the newer cars are superior in almost every way, but get real, we all survived them, and liked them so much were here talking about them. “Wouldn’t let my wife ride in it (‘96 F-150) when she was pregnant.” Really? You tell her to “hoof it”? Was that in ‘96 or last year? Hindsight is 20/20.
Have a great day folks, and carry on.
She had her own car. It was a couple of years ago. Her compact had much better crash test scores than a 2004 F150 Heritage (the last production run of the 1996 jellybean bodystyle.)
It will be a few years before I put my 4 year old in my 1967 Mustang even for a Sunday drive. It would be like putting her behind me on a motorcycle now.
Ha, yes, “we” all survived those cars but not “all” people did.
1997 is the first model year of the Jelly Bean. I’m pretty sure that Jim was referring to the “OBS” or old body style. Which yeah still doesn’t match the safety of the modern trucks.
By definition we survived the old technology. Some people didn’t. In any case, modern traffic density and speed (esp urban multi lane streets and high speed freeways) are utterly different from 50 or 60 years ago. Unless you’re using an old car as a museum exhibit, it’s dumb to say that it’s good enough now because it was good enough, or the best that was available, then.
Worse, back then everyone else would suffer the same kinds of hurt you would in an accident. Now everyone else is in a safety cocoon while the driver of the classic is still rolling dice in a game where the odds keep getting worse. The personal, physical cost of an accident (as in risk of serious injury) has gone way down for everyone else and the advent of cell phones makes distraction more common. The older I get the less I like the idea of daily driving an old sled.
J.P. you’ve hit the nail on the head, or identified the elephant in the room. (Okay, I’ve used up my store of trite expressions for this morning!) Safety is the issue. If not for us as an enthusiast drivers, at least for our passengers. A lot depends on your level of tolerance to potential hazard. Motorcycle riders aren’t foolish but they accept that a traffic “incident” can have much more serious consequences. Rock climbers, hang gliders.and extreme sport participants are in the same space. Back when I was an instructor in the Motorcycle Safety Program we taught the safe approach to riding once the participant made the decision to start riding. But we never encouraged anyone to start riding. I’ve had a career in “actual everyday car safety” and seen and investigated a lot of collisions. I feel okay driving anything that came from the factory with a collapsible steering column and a three point shoulder belt, air bags are also appreciated. Back when I was into the Rat Rod thing I went to shows where I saw cars that were certain Death Traps. The builders took cars that were already bad, and made them much worse.
Several years ago I had a fit of nostalgia for old big GM wagons. There was an ’86 Custom Cruiser up in Connecticut I was looking at – to replace a 2003 Subaru wagon as a daily driver. My first car was an ’87 Pontiac Safari. Then I remembered the lack of airbags, the drum brakes, the way I had slid off the road at low speed into a ditch in a snow-storm, the slow motion rear-ending on an ice-covered road which in a quarter-century is still my only MVA.
I came to my senses. Got a one-year-old and a seven year old now.
I know this will certify me as an absolute lunatic, but I would remaster a ’71-’73 Vega GT with the 190hp Quad 4 from an Achieva SCX. Perhaps fitting an Ecotech 4 would make more sense, but I always loved the rambunctious nature of the Quad 4 at full throttle. The Quad was a real PITA to work on, though.
A Vega with a real four cylinder engine sounds fine to me.
Even better to make the remastered version FWD like it should have been originally.
Yes, I know FWD would have been a bit out there for 1971, but GM did it for the Toronado a few years earlier, and did a pretty job at it too all things considered. If GM had come out with a competently done small car in the early 1970’s things could have ended up quite differently for them. And they could have done it too.
I’m wondering about a Citroen GS with a Mazda rotary. Sort of like the GS Birotor but done right – all the little GS’s attributes, but with a reliable engine of the same type.
– Fiat X1/9 with thicker sheet metal, fuel injection & 5 speed
– VW Scirocco (1st Gen) with RELIABLE fuel injection & 5 speed
– Opel GT with thick undercoating, fuel injection & 5 speed
– Datsun 510 with thicker sheet metal, fuel injection & 5 speed
– Mercury Capri (1st Gen ) with fuel injection & 5 speed
– Honda Z with fuel injection & 5 speed
As you can see above, any of the great sport cars of the late 60’s & early 70’s with up to date fuel injection, a fifth gear, and some rust proofing.
I would like to remaster the 1975 Peugeot 604 – a more reliable and efficient V6 and to galvanise the body and respray it.
The Citroen CX is another one and I´d do the same thing.
Finally, the 1980 Lancia Trevi needs rust-treatment and the dashboard concept to be executed using better materials.
I would strive to keep the wonderful style of the Bellini dashboard but would make it of nicer plastics and eliminate a few unsightly joints between some of the parts.
J’adore la 604, but the feeling of the engine was like it always missed a beat.
And while BMW put all electric and electronic bits protected in a simple plastic lunchbox, Peugeot installed the relais behind the headlights. Which was a real success in wintertime.
And for a CX a phase 2 Turbo Diesel 2500 break please.
How about a Lancia Gamma coupe with a Subaru 2.5 litre flat four? Turbo? Sure, why not? 🙂
Or a Jowett Javelin with a smaller Subaru four?
Panhard BT 24 with a Subaru flat four?
Another good answer.
Buick GNX Blackwing
1971 Mercury Marquis or 1969 Cadillac Fleetwood, I always loved the big RWD land yachts, same engines but run by fuel injectors instead of carburetors
All I want out of life is newly-built Volvo 245. Throw in the modern 2.0T, 250hp engine, and I’d never buy another car again.
A Studebaker. Except made out of Galvanized steel this time… (OK, and a less flexible frame)
How about an early fifties Chevrolet with the stove bolt six replaced by a Vortec 4200 I6? To my mind this would be “better” than dropping in the ubiquitous SBC. The modern six would provide considerably more power and torque than the original and it is more in keeping with the spirit of the original car. One more thing to consider when I win the lottery.
Renault R5 Turbo. A mid engined, turbocharged hatchback is a certain kind of crazy that’s lacking in today’s cars.
I do admit I would like to have a 1979 Ford Mustang Ghia coupe revived with the 1987-92 Ford Mustang 5.0 V8 engine and a 5 speed manual.
That’s a bolt on swap onto a 87-92 coupe, no?
Any slant 6 Mopar that the body would last as long as the engine.
I do not think that “remastering” is far off – 10 years max. with the following:
Electric motor
Revised safety, including:
3 point belts
Strengthened steel for passenger compartment
Crumple zones
Brakes
Airbags
Unlike “retro” mobiles like the fiat 500 thunderbird or new beetle, these will not be “updated” classics, but faithful reproductions of interiors and exteriors capitalizing on historic intellectual value, minimally adjusted only for contemporary motors and safety systems.
GM has the most value sitting on the back bench: What do they bring back first?
China awaits….
I wouldn’t mind having the 145 HP 2.3L engine out of my 2004 Focus in my 1991 Mazda 626 replacing the 95 HP 2.2L engine. I know how well the Focus performs so the 626 would be killer with that engine. No eco boost for me, thank you.
Original Datsun 240Z except with better/any rustproofing.
Most BMWs from the 90s except with better/any longevity.
The original Taurus had weak transmissions even for the original V6’s torque. Trans would need to be upgraded. And the suspension. And the subframe. Tires. Brakes.
It would torque-steer and understeer itself to death quickly.
It’d be good TV though.
1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham with a 455/400bhp V8 engine that was available on the 1970 Oldsmobile Toronado would be a great choice
1975-78 Mercury Grand Marquis 4 door with a Mustang Boss 429 V8 engine.
1975-79 Lincoln Continental Town Car 4 door with a 460 V8 engine from a 1969-71 Lincoln
1976-78 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham with a 426 Hemi V8 engine
I’ll happily take Mr. Snitkoff’s opening offering: a first-gen Taurus (wagon, please), with a later engine and 6-speed automatic.
Wiki tells me gen-1 (sedan) weighed but 3050 pounds; the final iteration almost 1000 more (4015 lb). Doubtless even safer, but my remastered gen-1 wouldn’t need gobs of horsepower to push it around, either.
Over the years the Taurus eventually moved up from 15-inch wheels, so I suppose I’d take the mild upgrade of 16’s while I was at it.
That said, fun to read everyone’s responses!
Other choices would be in the compact pickup field are
1980-82 Datsun 720 King Cab pickup with the 4.0 liter V6 out of a newer model Nissan Frontier/Pathfinder
1979-83 Toyota Pickup with either the 3.4 Liter V6 out of a an older model Toyota Tacoma/4Runner or a 4.0 Liter V6 out of a newer model Toyota 4Runner/Tacoma
1982-88 Ford Ranger pickup with a 3.5 Liter V6 out of a newer model Ford Explorer
A DS with a Porsche flat six under that low hood.
Good answer! It´s also in a way a return to the original vision.
I am sort of doing it already on my 64 Mercury Comet which has a modified suspension geometry as well as other changes to benefit from modern rubber and engineer out bump steer and rolly-pollyness, as well as a faster ratio steering box. Next step is to ditch the 3 on the tree for a 5sp floor change, convert to Wilwood 4 piston disk brakes at the front + a dual circuit master cylinder and then the limited slip diff replaces the open standard one (and with a ratio which gives me the best of both worlds between acceleration and relaxed cruising). Once all that is done, the 289 comes out to be reconditioned and rodded to about 300 hp – on LPG. And then we’ll fit the 6 point roll cage and stiffening plates inside the sills.
Oh, and I forgot the electric PAS with electronic servo adjustment.
1970 Vauxhall Viva GT Estate (a model they actually considered at the time), though with later fuel injected 2.3 litre engine intended for the 1977 VX490 (same engine family so should fit).
I had a 70 HB Viva estate the regular variety though with 1256cc engine powerfull it was not but it got along ok for what it was. 2.3 Bedford van engines are a popular swap here to replace the HC model 1800 that came in the Magnums and will fit the HB GT
Imagine going into the Pontiac dealer and asking for the latest info on the Hall and Oates tour……
“Hall and Oates tour info please. I want to see Oates’ remastered mustache.”
Ahhh, if only.
Won’t need to do much here really, (but for the motor ’82-’85)
1979-1985 10th Generation Cadillac Eldorado please.
A-body Plymouth valiant with fuel-Injected slant six.
Series 3 Jag XJ6. With the BMW 3.0-liter turbo inline 6. Or even a non-turbo 2JZ for maximum un-Jaguarlike reliability.
1979 Saab 900S 5-door with a modern 2.0-liter turbo four. Finally, a fully appropriate home for the current 2.0T trend.
I would suggest the Geo Tracker convertible. There is nothing like it on the market, especially as the Jeep Wrangler continues to grow and move upmarket and the new Suzuki Jimny doesn’t offer a convertible roof. I would update the engine, the steel type used in the body & frame (for safety), the dash (replace the radio with a modern one & move it higher up), and the lighting.
This post also reminds me of the MG RV8 of 1992-1995, a revived MGB with a mandatory Rover V8 and various updates.
Actually, there is a Jeep Wranger substitute available now on the market, but it is listed as a ATV/Offroad use only. The Mahindra Roxor is basically a modern copy of the original Willys Jeep.
It is just another flavor of the retro-themed cars, like the new Mini, Fiat 500, PT Cruiser (called the best 1939 Ford ever built), and even the modern pony cars.
To me, remastered is just smoothing out the issues presented by the original, not rebuilding with Frankenstein-like bits and pieces of other cars. As an example, making the entire engine block, not just the head, of a Vega in aluminum would be remastering. YMMV.
This has sort of been done in the boat world. I recently had a ride in a Hacker-Craft triple cockpit runabout like this one:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker-Craft#/media/File:Hacker_Runabout_2010.jpg
It is a classic design from the 20’s or 30’s with some modernization. The one I rode in has a Chevy 502 engine with about 500 hp. Beautiful, very loud and very very fast.
1978-83 Ford Fairmont with a 5.0 or 4.6 V8 out of a Ford Mustang GT from 1994-2004 and a 5 speed manual, I can imagine that car being fun to drive.
1983 Celica Supra, with caveats….same size, but with modern engine, more power and suspension, airbags and other safety gear, and most importantly, the the same funky styling.
1992 Honda Accord, also with few changes except for safety and power.
1917 or so Baker Electric.
Three changes:
1. shatterproof glass or Lucite
2. Replace the resistive motor controller with solid-state inverter/chopper type.
3. Replace the old NiFe batteries with new NiFe batteries. The old ones would probably last another 100 years, but I’d like to give some business to Iron Edison, the company that has resumed making NiFe.
1974 Plymouth Satellite coupe hands-down. Probably wouldn’t change much except maybe adding an upgraded audio system (an AM radio with a single speaker didn’t do much to enhance the ride) and no vinyl top. The 318 got me from SC to CA and back (towing a car on the way back), and was almost as bulletproof as the slant six. Maybe I just miss my old car… Sure it was heavy (last of the bloated B-bodies), but even for it’s size it still got 20mpg on the highway. Only aggravating part was having to drag the seatbelt around my knees to keep the tensioners from locking up before I could properly fasten the belt. (oh yeah, who could forget the popular seatbelt starter interlock feature, right?)
First-generation Tauruses are becoming surprisingly difficult to find here in the Bay Area, especially considering the numbers they sold in.
I’ve a vague intention to find a reasonably clean example and do a ground-up restoration of it.