Resto Mods: Better, Faster, Cooler

BART LENAERTS and LIES DE MOL, Waft, ¤60 (standard edition), available from waft be

Love ’ em or loathe ’ em, there is no lack of demand for restomods, fuelled by an apparently inexhaustible supply of uberwealthy petrolheads looking for something a bit different

How, exactly, you define a restomod is a moot point, and entrepreneur David Brown, of infamous Speedback GT fame, is refreshingly blunt: ‘Honestly, I have no idea what a restomod is’ Nevertheless, his Mini Remastered makes it to the final baker’s dozen cut featured in this artfully presented volume, a cross-section sourced from the UK and the Continent Words and the majority of the pics are by the Dutch husbandand-wife team that comprise Waft Publishing, and author Bart Lenaerts gives full rein to his

Max Hoffman: Million Dollar Middleman

£30, ISBN 978 1 787115 03 3

It’s surprising to learn from this snappily written hardback just how many European marques the WW2 refugee Max Hoffman was involved with in his adopted USA, having launched his import and distribution business in 1947 with a single car (a Figoni et Falaschi teardrop Delahaye coupé) Sensibly, therefore, the author divides Hoffman’s story by marque – Mercedes features prominently – but there are also fascinating chapters on, for example, his love of architecture and its realisation in his automobile showrooms. MD

The Fast Show ‘Niiice’ jazz-riff style of writing In any other context it might drive you mad, but somehow it works here and it gives a unique character to this duo’s design-focused books

Thankfully, there’s only one 911 restomod profiled (by Sander Automotive, not Singer), while the Lancia-based Delta Futurista by Automobili Amos is among the most interesting of a varied bunch that ranges from the fairly familiar (Eagle E-type) to rarities such as the Citroën SM2 There can only be one verdict: ‘Niiice’ MD