Written by independent automotive journalist Chris Griggs

Whether you prefer an incredible custom creation like this 1938 Lincoln Zephyr (top) or a Resto-Mod with classic looks and modern technology, like this Porsche 356, you’ll find something to suit your tastes as every Barrett-Jackson auction.

This 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air known as “Chezoom” is one of several remarkable custom builds from Boyd Coddington that have been featured on the Barrett-Jackson auction block.

The terms are almost interchangeable: Custom and Resto-Mod. All Resto-Mods are custom anyway, so what’s the difference? Turns out it’s not so simple. While the two concepts certainly share a lot of elements and can be seen together, there’s a distinct difference between a custom car and a Resto-Mod.

A true custom emphasizes style first. That’s not to say performance isn’t important, but how the car looks is paramount. High-level customs may start out as a run-of-the-mill, factory-built cars or they may be built from completely from scratch using raw metal or fiberglass – but no matter where they start, they all end up becoming one-of-a-kind pieces that some even consider art. Custom cars really began to take off in the 1950s, where the most radical cars featured modifications like chopped roof lines, louvered hoods and frenched headlights. As technology evolved, so did the tools and techniques for customization.

Boyd Coddington’s “The French Connection” custom build channels the sleek lines of a 1937 Delahaye.

The interior is an essential element to the vehicle as well, incorporating features like custom seats and door panels, handmade consoles and big stereos. You’ll see touches like an assortment of stitching styles, such as diamond quilt, tuck and roll or French seams, using a contrasting thread for an accent color.

Under the hood, philosophies tend to differ. Some prefer to do a basic cleanup and repaint because they built the car with belief it looks best with the hood closed and all bodylines intact. Others treat the engine bay as another area to be customized, making the engine look like an enshrined piece of jewelry sitting neatly in a display case. Neither philosophy is right or better; it comes down to the personal tastes of the builder.

“The Boss” is a custom 1967 Ford Mustang fastback built by Kindig-It Design’s Dave Kindig and crew.

Over the years many great custom creations have graced the Barrett-Jackson block, often built by the biggest names in the business: Boyd Coddington’s Chezoom or The French Connection, “The Boss” from Kindig-It Design and a 1938 Lincoln Zephyr that’s one of the most famous street rods ever created, designed and built by a team of America’s top street rod professionals.

A Resto-Mod emphasizes performance first, often retaining a more stock look, although on occasion one will see tweaks to the body necessary for performance and aesthetic appeal. The trend traces its roots to the Pro-Street style of build, where the idea was to take a muscle car and build a drag-race-inspired machine at home on both the street and the strip. Hallmarks included big, wide rear tires, massive engines with blowers sticking through the hood, side exhausts, wheelie bars and roll cages. Occasionally a custom paint job would be added to the mix, but it was usually never the main focus of the car.

This multiple award-winning 1972 Chevrolet Corvette Resto-Mod was initially built in a 48-hour time frame in front of many thousands of website viewers.

The style evolved into today’s Resto-Mod, which essentially turns a classic into a modern performance machine that can be fast both in a straight line and around corners. Muscle cars are the most common candidates here, with upgrades consisting of modern fuel-injected, supercharged engines, coilover suspensions, disc brakes, rack & pinion steering, even full chassis swaps. There are some noticeable common style changes, but they all follow the principle of performance first: lightweight custom wheels, carbon-fiber body panels, lowered stances, added aerodynamic components – all things meant to help the cars go as fast as possible. Companies such as Detroit Speed and RideTech have made a name in the pursuit of building modern performance technology classics.

This 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird re-creation known as “Hellbird” has a 707hp Hellcat crate engine under the hood.

Other times, the goal is to make the car appear as stock as possible, hiding the upgrades and placing the car into the “sleeper” status. One of the best examples of this is the Hellbird, a 1970 Plymouth Superbird re-creation that appears completely stock inside and out, but is packing a 707hp Hellcat crate engine under the hood.

Where things get a little confusing is when elements of both blend together, but the results can create machines that rival even the most exclusive supercars. Great examples of this can be illustrated by some of the builds from shops like Ringbrothers or Roadster Shop, who combine massively powerful engines, full custom chassis and thousands of hours of modification inside and out to create works of art capable of taking down Ferraris and Porsches.

This 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle that sold for $191,400 at the 2019 Scottsdale Auction is an excellent example of a well-executed Resto-Mod.

Not all examples go this extreme. There are countless examples of muscle cars rolling over the auction block with modern LS engines, upgraded chassis and style tweaks like blacked-out bumpers, flush-mount glass and custom wheels, such as a 1970 Chevelle that sold at the Scottsdale Auction in January for $191,400. While certainly more stylistically tame than other customs, it featured multiple custom style changes inside and out, in addition to the massive 572ci big-block engine and coilover suspension to maximize performance.

The concept of customs and Resto-Mods isn’t contained to muscle cars alone. Builders are taking the same concepts and applying them to all kinds of makes and models. For example, a custom Porsche 356 built by West Coast Customs features an original convertible body grafted onto the 2008 Cayman Chassis, complete with countless custom tweaks inside and out. Across the pond, E-Type UK is making waves with its Resto-Mod version of the Series III XKE. Domestically, Gateway Bronco has become such a force with custom early Broncos trucks that Ford has actually licensed them to build brand-new ones.

Other SUVs – such as FJ Cruisers built by Icon 4×4 or Land Rover Defenders from East Coast Defender – have become wildly popular. Even a Ferrari has undergone the Resto-Mod treatment; noted Ferrari collector David Lee made headlines with his F40-powered Dino.

Resto-Mods and customs appeal to different people for different reasons. Some love the unique style, while others love the idea of owning a classic with the performance and reliability of a modern car. No matter which element tempts you, the concept of making your car truly your own is one that will never go out of style.

For a look at the customs, Resto-Mods and other great vehicles on the 2019 Palm Beach docket, click HERE.