By private commission

The Volvos history kept quiet.
Built once. Built for you.

RestoMod is a restoration atelier devoted to the rarest, most characterful classics — sourced with intent, re-engineered for the modern road, and finished to a single client's hand. No two commissions are alike, because no two owners are.

One owner per motorcar Documented provenance Concierge delivery
Request a private consultation View the commissions
Our Mission

We give rare classics a second life worth keeping.

Restored to their soul, re-engineered for the road ahead, and built once — for one owner. We take the classics the rest of the world overlooked and rebuild them to a standard their makers never could: honest heritage on the outside, modern reliability underneath.

The Marque

Quiet cars for people who no longer need to be loud.

Anyone can buy the obvious classic. Our clients ask for something rarer: the shooting brake that stops a valet line without a badge anyone expects, the coupe whose silhouette earned its place in design museums rather than posters.

Our core line is the connoisseur's Volvo — the P1800, the 1800ES, the 240-series — chosen for honest engineering, sculptural restraint, and a story most collections are missing. Alongside them we take on the rare and the characterful: the sculptural SAAB Sonett, and — because a marque should have a sense of humour — the cult Subaru BRAT, built for the pure joy of it. Each commission pairs that heritage with modern reliability, so the car you fall in love with is the car you actually drive.

Every motorcar is built once, for one owner. When a commission is delivered, it is never repeated.

I
Rarity by design

We accept a deliberately small number of commissions, and each specification is retired upon delivery. Your car exists exactly once.

II
Craftsmanship without shortcuts

Bare-metal restoration, hand-finished brightwork, and trim executed by specialists — documented at every stage of the build.

III
Modern reliability

Driveline, braking, cooling, and electrics are re-engineered to modern standards, so the romance of the classic never depends on its temperament.

IV
Provenance, kept

Every commission is delivered with a bound dossier: the donor car's history, the build record, and the choices that made it yours.

The Owner's Film

Why she'll never sell it.

A commission doesn't end at delivery. It becomes part of a life. One owner tells the story of her P1800 — the car her family remembers, returned to the road stronger than it left it.

Current Commission Lines

Six silhouettes. One of each, at a time.

Each line below is a starting point for a conversation, not a catalogue entry. The core is the connoisseur's Volvo; alongside it, the sculptural SAAB Sonett and — because a marque should have a sense of humour — the cult Subaru BRAT. The donor car, the specification, and the finish are decided with you, then never offered again.

Each silhouette below is a Late 2027 Drop — allocations open by private invitation. One build per line, then the specification is retired.

The Drop — Late 2027

Not inventory. An allocation.

We build one car per line, then retire the specification for good. So the 2027 drop is not a shelf to buy from — it is a small, named set of commissions released by invitation. Register your interest now; when allocations open, the earliest conversations are the first considered.

One build per lineBy private invitationSpecification retired at deliveryWaitlist open now
Volvo 1800ES shooting brake commission conceptLate 2027 Drop
Commission Line I — Grand Touring

1800ES “Coastline”

The glass-tailed shooting brake — among the most singular silhouettes of the early seventies. Coastline commissions are built for unhurried distance: a re-engineered driveline, hand-trimmed cabin, and brightwork restored to better-than-original depth.

CharacterThe elegant grand tourer
IntentCoastal miles, long weekends, arrivals that need no explanation
CabinFull leather retrim, hidden modern audio, period-correct instruments
View the commission

Specification philosophy

The 1800ES rewards restraint. We refresh the original four-cylinder architecture with modern fuel injection and cooling, uprate braking and suspension for composed touring, and keep every visible surface faithful to the car Frua's studio would recognize.

Decided with the owner

paint depth & huehide & stitch selectionwheel finishride posturediscreet modern audiobespoke luggage for the glass tail
Volvo 242 turbocharged commission conceptLate 2027 Drop
Commission Line II — Gentleman's Express

242 “Nordforge”

The two-door brick, recut as a sleeper of real intent. Nordforge commissions pair a turbocharged redblock built to our specification with a chassis that finally matches it — outwardly restrained, deliberately underestimated.

CharacterThe understated performer
IntentBackroads, rally-heritage events, the pleasure of surprising people
CabinMotorsport-clean: supportive seating, precise controls, nothing ornamental
View the commission

Specification philosophy

Boost is easy; balance is the craft. Each Nordforge is built around chassis composure first — braking, geometry, and cooling engineered as a system — so the turbocharged character is something you use, not merely survive.

Decided with the owner

power & response characterstance & wheel diameterseat bolsteringbright or blacked trimgearbox feeldiscreet modern instrumentation
Volvo 245 estate commission conceptLate 2027 Drop
Commission Line III — The Estate

245 “Trailsmith”

The square-shouldered estate, elevated. Trailsmith commissions turn the most beloved wagon of its era into a daily-drivable heirloom — heated seating beneath original-pattern upholstery, modern driveline reliability beneath an unimprovable shape.

CharacterThe heirloom estate
IntentMountain houses, coastal errands, dogs and children of good taste
CabinComfort-first: heated seats, modern climate, invisible technology
View the commission

Specification philosophy

The 245 must remain what it always was — useful — while feeling like nothing else on the school run. We build the driveline for effortless daily service, restore the cargo hold to furniture-grade finish, and hide every modern convenience behind original surfaces.

Decided with the owner

estate or subtle overland postureroof rack systemcabin material mixseat heating & climatetouring audioall-weather wheel set
SAAB Sonett RestoMod commission concept, modern lightweight sports coupeLate 2027 Drop
Commission Line IV — Scandinavian Rarity

Sonett “Skerry”

The sculptural coupé from Trollhättan — one of the rarest silhouettes Sweden ever built. Skerry commissions restore the jewel-like fibreglass form and quietly re-engineer everything beneath it: the connoisseur's car, the one almost no one else can name.

CharacterThe sculptural rarity
IntentThe connoisseur's car — the one nobody expects to see
BodyFibreglass form restored to jewel-like finish
View the commission

Specification philosophy

The Sonett was never about pace; it was about proportion, lightness, and confidence. A Skerry preserves exactly that, while bringing driveline, braking, cooling, and electrics up to modern standards — a rarity you can actually use, not merely admire under a cover.

Decided with the owner

paint depth & huehide & stitch selectionwheel finishride posturediscreet modern audioinstrument treatment
Subaru BRAT RestoMod commission concept, modern widebody rally-style road carLate 2027 Drop
Commission Line V — The Wildcard

BRAT “Jackrabbit”

The cult all-wheel-drive mini-truck — grin-inducing, faintly absurd, beloved out of all proportion to its size. The Jackrabbit is the wink in the collection: the same honest restoration as everything else we build, with none of the ceremony. We rebuild it for the pure joy of it.

CharacterThe joyful outlier
IntentBeach roads, ranch tracks, and making people grin
The party trickRear-facing bed seats — kept, restored, and celebrated
View the commission

Specification philosophy

Serious work; unserious car. We restore the BRAT as honestly as any Volvo — all-wheel drive re-engineered for modern reliability, the famous bed seats kept and celebrated — and simply don't ask it to be dignified. The one car in the garage that isn't trying to prove a thing.

Decided with the owner

paint & period graphicsbed-seat trimwheel & tyre choiceride heightdiscreet modern audioroll bar & lamp treatment
Volvo P1800 RestoMod commission concept, the origin coupe re-engineered for the modern roadLate 2027 Drop
Commission Line VI — The Origin

P1800 “Progenitor”

The car the marque was founded on — Volvo’s elegant 1960s coupe, the shape that taught us what the marque could be. A Progenitor preserves the chrome-era lines exactly, then quietly re-engineers everything beneath: the origin car, returned to the road stronger than it left it.

CharacterThe origin coupe
IntentSculptural presence, honest engineering, a car passed down
CabinFull leather retrim, discreet modern interfaces
View the commission

Specification philosophy

The P1800 was always about proportion and poise. A Progenitor keeps exactly that, while bringing driveline, braking, cooling, and electrics up to modern standards — the origin car made genuinely usable, not merely admired under a cover.

Decided with the owner

paint depth & huehide & stitch selectionwheel finishride posturediscreet modern interfacesinstrument treatment

View all commission lines

The Process

A commission, not a transaction.

From first conversation to first drive, you work with the atelier directly. Five stages, each documented, each unhurried.

I

The Consultation

A private conversation about how you drive, where the car will live, and what it should say when it arrives. No forms, no configurators — a dialogue.

II

Sourcing & Provenance

We locate the right donor car — structurally honest, historically documented — and present its full history before a single panel is touched.

III

The Design Commission

Together we fix the specification: exterior finish, cabin materials, driveline character, and the details only you will know to look for.

IV

The Build

Bare-metal restoration and re-engineering, with photographic documentation at every stage. You watch your car come into being.

V

Delivery & Aftercare

Concierge handover wherever you are, a bound provenance dossier, and an ongoing relationship with the atelier that built your car.

Volvo P1800 commission, three-quarter view
Provenance

A car is only as valuable as its story is verifiable.

Great collections are built on documentation. Every RestoMod commission is delivered with a provenance dossier — the complete, verifiable record of what the car was, what was done, and who it was done for.

The Commission Dossier

  • Donor vehicle history and acquisition record
  • Photographic build record, from bare metal to final polish
  • Full specification: driveline, chassis, finishes, materials
  • The owner's design decisions, recorded and dated
  • Statement of uniqueness: this specification, retired
Questions & Answers

What a RestoMod commission is — plainly.

Straight answers to the questions we are asked most, written to be read by people and quoted accurately by search engines.

What is a RestoMod commission?

RestoMod is a private-commission restoration atelier that re-engineers rare classic cars — classic Volvos, the SAAB Sonett, and the Subaru BRAT — built once, for one owner, with documented provenance and concierge delivery. It is a reimagining in the tradition of Singer, Kimera, and Alfaholics, not a standard restoration.

Which cars does RestoMod build?

Six commission lines: the Volvo 1800ES "Coastline", Volvo 242 "Nordforge", Volvo 245 "Trailsmith", SAAB Sonett "Skerry", Subaru BRAT "Jackrabbit", and Volvo P1800 "Progenitor". We deliberately reimagine rare, overlooked silhouettes rather than the widely-built Land Rover Defender.

How much does a RestoMod commission cost?

Every commission is unique, so pricing, specification, and build timeline are discussed individually by private consultation rather than published as a list price. Tell us about the car you have in mind and the atelier will arrange a private conversation.

What is the "Late 2027 Drop"?

Each line is released as a "Late 2027 Drop" — a planned reveal with allocations opening by private invitation. Because we build one car per line and then retire the specification, the scarcity is genuine. It is an anticipated availability window, not a guaranteed on-sale date.

Who is behind RestoMod?

RestoMod is a brand of de Odyssey LLC, a technology company. The atelier is the first of several de Odyssey ventures; the broader vision is described on The Bigger Picture.

The Atelier Journal

The thinking behind the work.

Dispatches from the atelier — why the quiet classics, how a donor earns its place, and what it means to build a motorcar once. Notes for those considering a commission.

Dispatch No. I

Why the quiet classics.

The connoisseur's choice: honest engineering, sculptural restraint, and a story most collections are missing.

Read the dispatch → Dispatch No. II

How a donor earns its place.

A commission is only as honest as the car it begins with — sound, documented, and presented before a panel is cut.

Read the dispatch → Dispatch No. V

Built once, and never repeated.

A small number of commissions, each specification retired at delivery, each car delivered with its story kept.

Read the dispatch →
Read the Atelier Journal
Begin a Commission

The first conversation is the most important part of the build.

Allocations for the Late 2027 Drop open by private invitation, and the earliest conversations are the first considered. Tell us a little about yourself and the car you have in mind, and the atelier will place you on the waitlist for a private consultation.

Request a private consultation Revisit the commissions Consultations are private and without obligation. Availability, pricing, and build timelines are discussed individually — every commission is different, and so is every conversation.