Buy these ready-made restomod trucks

Ever fancied a bit of vintage Americana but didn’t actually want the hassle of something that requires too much wrenching? Ever considered that ‘bought not built’ might be an advantage, and that not spending several years trying to make something work properly might eat into the time spent actually enjoying it? The internet has the answer!

Being a bit of a truck junkie, and liking anything outrageously ‘50s/60s/70s American, a few minutes of idle internettery the other day revealed Main Motor Company of St.Charles, Missouri. Now, this isn’t really your average car dealer, but one that seems to be a beguiling mix of hobby passion and endless selling of personal projects. Pretty much everything for sale is patently the work of someone with an eye for detail, and a penchant for air-ride.

Motors and suspension are new, interiors re-trimmed and modern convenience applied, but all with an eye to originality and that indefinable look that accentuates the good stuff, and relegates the bad. Resto-mod heaven. I’ll admit that some of the patina-paint on several of the trucks isn’t necessarily to my taste (real patina or good paint, in my opinion), but most have that hot-rod vibe that people spend ages trying to perfect. The cars are mostly ‘50s and ‘60s vintage Chevrolets - the Brookwood wagons being my absolute favourites - but there are Bubbletops and El Caminos, Impalas of every stripe and even the ‘cheap Impala’ Biscayne.

But it’s the trucks that caught my eye. How about a laid-out seven-seater 1953 Chevy Suburban with Corvette C4 underpinnings and re-worked motor? Power steering, disc brakes and a full re-trim. Or one of several ’53 Pickups with a custom chassis, power everything and air-ride, usually equipped with a reliable and useful modern-ish 5.3 V8? A mechanically-refreshed ’66 C10 slab with scabby paint, or a totally restored but original 1972 C-10 in black?

It’s a bit of a rabbit hole when you start looking.