Vintage cars re-imagined. Thought the car lovers would like to see

Vintage modern website ^ | Chickensoup

[Chickensoup]

Vintage cars re-imagined. Thought the car lovers would like to see

Interesting custom builds.

Apparently still full of the electronics o e doesn't want.

Pricey.

I didn't see any 4 wd. Not sue what their platform is.

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TOPICS: Music/Entertainment
KEYWORDS: car; vintage

[Chickensoup]

Vintage cars re-imagined. Thought the car lovers would like to see

Interesting custom builds.

Apparently still full of the electronics o e doesn't want.

Pricey.

I didn't see any 4 wd. Not sue what their platform is.

[central_va]

I can’t get excited about anything right now.

[Jet Jaguar]

250,000 to 400,000$

Very pricey.

[Chickensoup]

There is one for 700+

Still didn’t see a four whel drive option.

[Getready]

At greater than approx. 260k... ain’t worth it. I would guess just about any car could be restored very well, thank you, for 25-50 k. If one just wanted to repair things...or overhaul engine...new brakes, trans works...maybe 10-20k. Repair upholstery extra 5 k...for 260 k, I want a Ford GT, or lambo, or a Plymouth Superbird with a Hellcat engine...

[Responsibility2nd]

I think you can buy each and every part for a tri-five Chevy; a 65 Mustang and a 1st gen Bronco and build a brand new car exactly like the original.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“They arrested me and they put me in jail.
And called my Pappy to throw my bail.
And he said, ‘Son, you’re gonna’ drive me to drinkin’
If you don’t stop drivin’ that Hot...Rod...Lincoln!’”

I’m currently shopping for a Ford to add to our Motor Pool. I’m not buying any of this CrAzY expensive stuff. ;)

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Pretty cool cars (but pricey!). At the bottom of their home page, they say:

Vintage Modern, Inc. specializes in creating modernized interpretations of classic automobiles. By integrating our own custom-designed parts, we craft vehicles that capture the essence of classic cars.

Vintage Modern has no sponsorship, association, approval, or endorsement from any motor company including Ford Motor Company. The names Ford® and Bronco® are trademarks of Ford Motor Company, and any other trademarks mentioned belong to their respective owners. References to these trademarked names or marks are solely for identification purposes.

Vintage Modern vehicles should never be referred to or described as a “Vintage Ford Bronco,” “Ford Bronco,” “Vintage Modern Ford Bronco,” or “Ford Vintage Modern Bronco.”

After looking at them, I wondered how are they avoiding infringing on Ford's trade dress. So I asked Grok:

Vintage Modern (formerly Vintage Broncos) does not fully avoid the issue—Ford is actively suing them over it. The company takes new modern Ford Broncos, removes the factory body panels, and installs custom retro-styled panels designed to evoke the 1966–1977 first-generation Bronco while retaining the modern chassis, safety systems (including airbags), powertrain, and other features.

Ford filed suit in October 2024 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (Case No. 1:24-cv-04988) alleging trademark infringement, trade dress infringement, false advertising, dilution, unfair competition, and related claims. Ford argues the overall boxy shape, proportions, fender contours, and related design elements of the classic Bronco constitute protected trade dress, and that Vintage Modern’s vehicles create confusion or trade on Ford’s goodwill. As of late 2026 the case remains open, with both sides having filed summary-judgment motions; no final ruling on the merits has been reported.

How Vintage Modern tries to address the trade-dress risk

• Custom, scaled body panels rather than exact replicas: The modern Bronco platform is substantially longer (~23 inches) and wider (~7 inches) than the original. Vintage Modern designs and stamps its own American-made steel panels to fit this larger chassis, describing them as “classic-inspired” with “design liberties” rather than precise copies of Ford’s 1966–77 body. They emphasize hand-crafted, proprietary parts.
• Own branding and no Ford/Bronco emblems: Vehicles carry “Vintage” badging. The company states it does not apply aftermarket Ford or Bronco emblems.
• Explicit disclaimers: The website states that Vintage Modern has no sponsorship, association, approval, or endorsement from Ford (or any motor company); that Ford and Bronco are Ford trademarks used only for identification; and that the vehicles should never be referred to as a “Vintage Ford Bronco,” “Ford Bronco,” “Vintage Modern Ford Bronco,” or similar.
• Rebranding: After Ford’s cease-and-desist and lawsuit, the company changed its name from Vintage Broncos to Vintage Modern.
• Abandonment defense: In the litigation, Vintage Modern argues Ford abandoned rights in the classic Bronco trade dress because it has not used that specific exterior design/shape since 1977 (and points to the long production gap for the Bronco name itself, roughly mid-1990s to 2020). Trademark/trade-dress rights generally require ongoing commercial use; prolonged non-use can support an abandonment claim.

Ford disputes these points, contending the vehicles are substantially similar imitations that cause confusion, that any disclaimer is insufficient given the overall look and modifications, and that it retains enforceable rights in the iconic design despite the production hiatus. Ford has also raised safety and quality concerns about the modified vehicles.

In short, Vintage Modern’s strategy relies on custom (non-identical) panels scaled to a modern chassis, independent branding/disclaimers, rebranding, and a legal argument that Ford abandoned the classic trade dress through decades of non-use. Whether this is sufficient is the core issue in the pending lawsuit; it has not been resolved. The company continues to operate and sell the vehicles while the case proceeds.

What do you think? Knock-off? Or sufficiently different?

[Jet Jaguar]

Wish I had the money...

[Big Red Badger]

An article stated at This Time the Vintage car market is dying,Dramatically.
Those interested won’t pay and
Nobody else is interested.
Personally I won’t work on Them anymore
even the Older VW bugs. I’d Love a Sweet
Fire Breathing BAJA.
But an oil change and Valve Adjustment
would be a Challenge when it used to be a Pleasure!
.
Is what it Is

[Uncle Miltie]

Just picked up one of these for $10K.

Good fun!

[LegendHasIt]

Saw (but didn’t watch) a video from the recent SEMA Show that China is reproducing a bunch of classic American and european vehicle bodies.

[Inyo-Mono]

I remember those, very popular with the upscale set back in the day. What year is yours?

[dennisw]

10 Features that make buying a new car a bad idea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aLxhV9z3cY

The top feature are new very tight tolerances engines that use low viscosity oil. Over engineered by the OCD Japanese to get one more mile per gallon, to keep EPA overlords happy.

Older “sloppier” engines that used 10-40 will last longer. He also mentions turbo charged engines. And engines that turn off at the stoplight.

[doorgunner69]

Still crude crap

[Getready]

At 260?....a rip off....company will have very limited clients. People gonna be stuck with a one of.
IMHO, mind you.

[Lockbox]

Looks like they are using the Chinese new steel body panels for the "original style" Bronco.

https://www.junchengauto.com/product/14738.html

[centermass_socrates]

I’ve got too many project to throw money at that I don’t have.
48 and 49 Ford F1’s, a 55 Chevy Bel Aire 4dr that belonged to my daddy, a 63 Ford F100, 77 Ford F250 Super Cab,, and my old 95 Mustang GT.
Too many vehicles, too little money.

[fireman15]

Years ago my wife and I bought a 1941 Cadillac “Restomod” through eBay. A guy who had restored a couple dozen vintage cars all stock decided to combine a 77 El Dorado with a 1941 Cadillac and use it as a daily driver. The car was spectacular. We flew to Indianapolis and drove it 2000 miles home. It was a great adventure and one of our best vacations ever.

Unfortunately, we needed the money to use for a house restoration project we were working on about 10 years later. We sold it for 50% more than we paid originally but had made a few improvements ourselves over the years. We drove it 2000 miles back across the country to deliver it to a collector in Michigan. It was another great adventure, but it was sad to let it go.