Restomod is a newer term that denotes a car that was restored, but modified. Somehow, someway, the person who restored the car also modified it, usually with a modern brake and suspension system, high-performance modern engine and transmission, and a host of other deviations from how the factory built the original car. It’s a popular way of rebuilding a car today. But to take a chassis from a dilapidated relic, remove what’s left of the body, and build a brand new car from scratch with period parts to period specs is something else entirely.
Enter Gary, the Bentley and specialty maker.
From his digs in Southern California, Gary famously rebuilds, redesigns, and reengineers aging Bentleys, La France fire trucks and Rolls-Royces to his own exacting specifications, and produces, for all intents and purposes, new-old cars that never existed.
“Why restore it? It’s more fun to design and build something from your imagination that could have been, but never was,” he said. “I mean, look at it this way – I could take a beat up Pre-War Bentley, dump hundreds-of-thousands into it and bring it back to a Concours level, but what do I have? Another old, perfect Bentley. Who cares! I’d rather think up a design, build it from scratch, and place it onto a restored Bentley or Roller chassis, and having something really unique.”
Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang ain’t got nothin’ on this guy.
Now, it’s not to say that Gary doesn’t enjoy simply restoring a car to factory specs. On the contrary, Gary is responsible for purchasing one of the most important Bentleys in history, and after researching it and collecting parts for it for 10 years, restoring it to a level of mind-blowing proportions. Zymol wax company even made a wax just for this special car.
“Hey, some cars are really worth bringing back to their heyday,” he said. “When they’re rare, and historically significant and interesting to begin with, why tinker with it? Restore it and make it the best you can. But when it’s going to cost as much, or more, to restore it as it was, and it was dull and mundane, and it’ll be more interesting and fun to make it truly a one-of-a-kind car –why not do it?”
To subscribe to this philosophy a man’s garage has to be up to the task, and Gary’s is nothing short of ready to go. Boasting a collection of jacks and stands, Gary doesn’t have a lift, which is a bit surprising. But, the décor of the garage reflects the absolute free spiritedness of his cars, with oil paintings of previous projects, old index card file cabinets holding badges, nuts, bolts, screws, washers, and an assortment of other necessities that might come in handy someday. A juxtaposed set of boxes joined together best describes how Gary’s garage comes together, allowing for plenty of space to work on any given project.
“You don’t want to get too many projects going on at one time, but I can get about six going on in here at one time if I have to,” he said. “I don’t think I want to, but the garage could if I had to.”
Through the 40-plus years Gary and his wife, Marilynn, have lived in the house, he’s amassed a collection of pictures, stained glass, awards, oversized radiator mascots, automobilia and the largest motoring badge collection in the world, plus tools, storage systems, parts, dealership and club displays, license plates – really, it’s a never-ending list. But, as a working garage, the patina of experience shows through well, and each time you pass through the doors, expect to be surprised by something you didn’t know was there from your prior visit.
And, like most good garageophiles, the odds and ends that make up the gist of his madness spill into designated courtyards outside and adjacent to the main garage structure. Frames, rolling chassis, parts and pieces abound in a haphazard but organized way.
“I’ve slowly been going through it, trying to cut it down a little bit,” he said. “I mean, hey, we’re not going to last forever, and this would be a massive burden to my wife if I should suddenly up and go.”
From Gary’s garage have emerged some of the most interesting and important cars in the world, from the 1947 Franay-bodied Bentley to one of his latest, Le Bestioni, a massive, red and gold, boat tailed speedster. In the spirit of all things turn-of-the-last-century, Le Bestioni stands over 6-feet tall at its highest point, and stretches just over 20-feet in length. Looking a bit more like a giant, oversized two-man race car from the early part of the last century than a car, Le Bestioni rides on a La France fire truck chassis from the 1920’s and, like most of Gary’s creations, uses period running gear with updated brakes and power steering that are able to cope with modern driving conditions. The engine displaces an unearthly 14-liters.
“This car is more fun to drive than anything I’ve ever had,” he smiles. “We drive it all over the place, and people just gawk, and smile, and point and kids eyes get as big as silver dollars – it’s a hoot.”
For the daily drivers, Gary and his wife share a four-car garage at the front of the house. Within are an early-1950’s Bentley, and two early-new-millennium Bentley sedans, but the gaggle of automobilia and fun extends through here as well. This garage even has a bar, giving the garage a more English pub look than simple car park.
“You get home from a long day and want a drink, you don’t have to go too far,” Gary jokes.
Currently, Gary is working on a 1926 Hudson that had been in storage for the last 69 years, and was used in the movie “The Grapes of Wrath,” and a beautiful 1930’s Bentley drophead. The two truly show Gary’s talents and psychology – the Hudson will receive a completely new body, while the Bentley is being returned to its original splendor. Found in a condition beyond simply dilapidated, Gary has taken the Hudson body completely apart, and is creating a streamlined, two-seater, boat tailed aluminum body for the chassis. When it’s done, it’ll look more vintage super car than dustbowl cruiser.
“I didn’t know how well made these Hudson’s were,” he said. “The chassis design and construction are amazing; the material usage alone was absolutely ingenious.”
While the Hollywood relationship to the Hudson is interesting, and rebuilding the car to how it was in the movie sounds like a great idea, Gary shakes his head and disagrees.
“The car was way, way too far gone to make the movie car again,” he said. “Besides, what’s going to be more interesting to people, an old junky truck, or a streamlined sports car? I think more people would want the sports car. It’ll sure be more fun to drive!”
And that’s what restomodding is all about – taking an old, beautiful, unique vehicle and making it easier and more enjoyable.
