For gearheads and nostalgics, the appeal of a classic 1960s vehicle is undeniable. “There’s something about a classic car the curves, the chrome, the nostalgia that makes you stop and stare,” a CBS Atlanta report recently observed. But as beautiful as vintage Ford Broncos or old-school Mercedes G-Wagons look, driving one daily is usually a miserable experience plagued by overheating engines, loose steering, and zero modern safety features.
Enter Vintage Modern, a Buford, Georgia-based company that is completely flipping the traditional “restomod” concept on its head.
Rather than trying to bolt new parts onto rusty 60-year-old frames, Vintage Modern is doing the exact opposite. They are building fully modern vehicles from the ground up on modern chassis architecture, and wrapping them in handcrafted, vintage-inspired bodies.
The company is the brainchild of Chau Nguyen, an entrepreneur who built a successful career in finance and tech startups to fund his automotive passion.
“When I was a kid, um, I had car posters. We grew up with nothing, so it was like deeply uh rooted in me as a kid that I’m going to figure out how to be successful in life so that I can make money just so I can buy cars,” Nguyen explained.
However, after purchasing a 1969 Ford Bronco, Nguyen realized that putting his young family in a car with lap belts and no crumple zones was a massive risk. “They had no airbags, modern-day safety features or technology like GPS and AC,” the CBS report noted.
That frustration sparked a revelation. “Why can’t it look classic but operate and act like a modern car?” Nguyen asked.
A New Category of Automotive Luxury
What happens inside the Vintage Modern factory (formerly known as Vintage Broncos) isn’t a restoration—it’s full-scale manufacturing.
“Hidden in here are your rear parking sensors,” Nguyen pointed out on a pristine, chrome-laden bumper. Because the vehicles are built on modern architecture—frequently utilizing modern Ford chassis foundations—Vintage Modern is able to include things that are literally impossible to retrofit into an original 1960s classic. These rides feature six airbags, LATCH child seat anchors, traction control, side-impact beams, and anti-lock brakes.
According to Nguyen, it takes “over 900 hours” of labor to assemble every single custom-built vehicle. That level of obsessive, hand-crafted engineering naturally commands a massive premium. The cars start at roughly $200,000, which has attracted a highly exclusive clientele including LeBron James, Jennifer Lopez, Mark Wahlberg, and Kevin Hart.
The Daily Driver Experience
For those who can afford the entry price, the ability to daily-drive a reliable classic without carrying a toolbox is life-changing.
Charlie Plumbley, a customer who finally traded in his original 1960s Bronco for a Vintage Modern build, says his new truck is a constant neighborhood spectacle.
“I can’t get gas; I cannot put fuel in that thing. It takes me 20 minutes because I’ve got three people that come over and they want to talk about it,” Plumbley laughed.
While Nguyen’s personal aspiration is to eventually build a “pink G Wagon that looks vintage right there”, his ultimate takeaway from building a luxury automotive brand is simple: “If you truly love what you do and you go after it doesn’t matter if it’s cars; it could be anything, uh, then I think your odds of success are way higher”.
