CAR GUY CHOICES: KEEPING IT REAL OR THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN APPROACH?

0
340

The first order of business: explain the title to our MyStarCollectorCar readers who may not be aware of the terms used in the title.

“Keeping it real” is a term used in the 20th century to convey a sense of authenticity.

Eventually, it was used as a general expression to indicate the best path forward for all people is to be authentic and honest in your life. MyStarCollectorCar decided to apply the term to vintage rides and classify “keeping it real” as a plan to retain a vehicle’s originality via survivor or a revival build.

Survivors are one thing, but a restoration plan can be tricky because it involves a decision to bring an old vehicle back to its original state and the owner’s dedication to originality in a “keeping-it-real” sense.

A heavy dedication to keeping it real means the owner must repair (or replace any damaged or worn-out part with an authentic piece) the vehicle back to factory standards. For example, the paint must be the right code, and the fabric must match the factory material to keep it real. Additionally, the original factory markings must be in the right place and font to answer the authenticity bell when judged by experts on the 100-point scale at car shows.  

Keeping it real may be an expensive car guy philosophy, but the ultimate goal is an original vintage vehicle in all its glory.

Another car guy direction plays off the ‘Six Million Dollar Man’ TV program from the 1970s. The show was based upon an astronaut character who was given bionic improvements after a NASA test flight crash destroyed his body. The famous phrase from the opening of every episode was: “We can rebuild him–we have the technology”.  

The show’s main character was Colonel Steve Austin, and six million bucks bought him a bionic right arm for super strength, two legs that allowed him to get speeding tickets without a car, and a high-tech left eye with super vision.

The major improvements made Austin a fighting machine for his top-secret government employer.  

The same basic ‘Six Million Dollar Man’ program of major high-tech improvements is followed by today’s car guys who want a fighting machine in their garage–although they want the final bill to be well below 6 million big ones.

These car guys want to take an old relic from the past and introduce it to the 21st century in terms of overall performance, a list that includes major power upgrades, along with new age handling, creature comforts, and braking.

They want today’s engineering hidden under an old vehicle and are more than willing to pay dearly for the privilege. Colonel Steve Austin was a six-million-dollar human equivalent of a resto mod or pro street ride, depending upon a car guy’s assessment of Austin’s upgrades.

A vintage Austin car or truck with a modern powertrain in it might be a fair comparison to the TV Austin.

BY: Jim Sutherland

Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section. 

SPONSORS