Kindred Motorworks Review: The Electric Restomod Company Turning Broncos, VW Buses, and Porsches into EVs

Ask most people about electric restomods and they think of one-off garage builds or ultra-expensive European specialists. Kindred Motorworks is neither. It’s a Vallejo, California company that has turned electric conversions of American and German classics — Ford Broncos, VW Buses, and now Porsche 911s — into something closer to an actual production line, backed by Robert Downey Jr.’s climate-focused venture fund and staffed by a 100-plus person team of engineers and technicians.

What separates Kindred from the wave of restomod shops chasing one perfect build is the standardization. Instead of treating every car as a bespoke one-off, Kindred built a proprietary EV platform — the Grayback Electric Vehicle Platform — that’s shared across models, so a Bronco, a Bus, and a 911 all draw from the same underlying battery, cooling, and control architecture rather than being engineered from scratch each time.

I’ve gone through Kindred’s full model lineup, the engineering behind the Grayback platform, and how the company stacks up against the other Bronco and Mustang restomod builders it competes with directly. Here’s my full breakdown of what Kindred Motorworks builds in 2026, the story behind the company, and where it sits against the competition.

The Story Behind Kindred Motorworks

Rob Howard founded Kindred Motorworks after restoring a classic car himself and coming away convinced the process could be systematized. His background in supply chain and technology — rather than traditional coachbuilding — shows in how the company is structured: a 100-plus person team spanning technicians, software developers, and mechanical engineers, working out of a production facility on Mare Island near Vallejo, California.

The company picked up serious outside validation in 2023 when Robert Downey Jr.’s Footprint Coalition Ventures led a $20 million funding round. Downey’s interest wasn’t just financial — he was simultaneously producing a Discovery+ series on classic-car EV conversions and has said plainly, “I don’t want to drive gasoline cars anymore.” That combination of capital and cultural attention helped Kindred scale faster than most restomod shops, which typically stay small by necessity.

Kindred’s central bet is that restomodding doesn’t have to mean hand-building every car from a blank sheet. The company’s “Blueprint” manufacturing philosophy aims for consistent quality “back-to-back with no deviation” — more automotive supplier than artisan workshop, even though the finished cars still look like hand-built classics.

What Kindred Motorworks Actually Builds

Kindred’s lineup spans three donor platforms — Ford Bronco, Volkswagen Bus, and Porsche 911 — each available with either a modern electric powertrain or, in the Bronco’s case, a fettled V8. A fourth line, the Camaro, has appeared in earlier iterations of the lineup as a V8-powered cruiser and performance model.

Kindred EV Bronco — The Flagship Conversion

Built on a genuine first-generation Ford Bronco frame (original VIN retained), the EV Bronco pairs classic boxy styling with a dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric system producing around 402 to 408 hp and 492 lb-ft of torque. The 80 kWh battery is good for roughly 200 miles of range, with support for both at-home Level 2 charging and CCS DC fast-charging. Kindred delivered its first customer EV Bronco in October 2025, and pricing starts at $225,000. A gas-powered version, running a 460-hp 5.0-liter V8, remains available for buyers who want the classic soundtrack.

Kindred EV Bus — The 23-Window Conversion

Kindred’s electric take on the VW Microbus starts from a classic split-window donor and is converted to the desirable 23-window Deluxe configuration, complete with a sliding ragtop roof. Power comes from a 294-hp direct-drive AC electric motor fed by a 74 kWh battery, good for approximately 200 miles of range with 6.6 kW onboard charging and DC fast-charge support. Production started in fall 2025, with 12 units planned for the model’s first year. Pricing starts at $249,000, and reviewers have described the acceleration as “rapid, especially from a dead stop” — a sharp contrast to the original bus’s famously glacial performance.

Kindred EV 911 — The Newest and Most Ambitious Build

Announced in 2026 as Kindred’s newest model, the EV 911 converts classic 1974-1989 Porsche 911s to a rear-mounted electric motor producing 375 hp and roughly 280 lb-ft of torque — about 200 hp more than the cars originally shipped with. A 400-volt, 62.2 kWh battery pack delivers around 225 miles of range. Limited to just 12 units, the EV 911 starts at $299,000, with deliveries planned for Q1 2027. It’s the clearest sign yet that Kindred intends to move beyond Americana and compete directly with European EV-restomod specialists.

Program Specifications at a Glance

Engineering Details Worth Knowing

Kindred’s pitch isn’t just “classic car, electric motor.” The engineering effort goes into making that swap repeatable across completely different donor platforms without reinventing the wheel each time.

The Grayback Electric Vehicle Platform

Named after the USS Grayback submarine, Kindred’s proprietary Grayback EV Platform bundles battery management, thermal control, vehicle controls, power distribution, battery enclosures, and the charging system into one integrated architecture shared across models. Kindred says the platform supports up to 600 hp and is designed to accept upgrades over the vehicle’s lifetime — meaning a Bronco or Bus bought today could theoretically receive more power or a bigger battery down the line as the platform matures.

Standardized “Blueprint” Manufacturing

Rather than treating each restomod as a bespoke, start-from-scratch project, Kindred engineers a build once and then repeats it with what the company calls “no deviation” between units. Design and engineering teams reportedly invest more than 10,000 hours prototyping each model before it enters production. It’s a distinctly Silicon Valley approach to a traditionally artisanal business, and it’s how a 100-plus-person company can credibly aim for over 100 completed vehicles a year rather than the handful most restomod houses manage.

Original Frames, Modern Everything Else

Across every model, Kindred starts from a genuine donor car — original frame, original VIN — rather than a replica or continuation chassis. That matters both for authenticity and for buyers who want a car that’s legally and historically the classic it appears to be, just rebuilt underneath with a modern EV platform, reinforced structure, and updated suspension and braking hardware.

Kindred Motorworks vs Gateway Bronco vs Revology

The most natural comparisons for Kindred aren’t the European carbon-fiber specialists — they’re the other companies building modernized first-generation Broncos and classic Mustangs at scale: Gateway Bronco and Revology.

My honest read: Gateway Bronco is chasing pure old-school coachbuilt exclusivity, and it prices accordingly — well north of double what Kindred charges for a comparable Bronco. Revology sits closer to Kindred on price but stays entirely gas-powered, building officially licensed reproduction Mustangs and Broncos rather than converting genuine donor cars. Kindred is the only one of the three offering a real electric option, and it’s doing so at a price and production scale none of the traditional restomod houses have matched. If you want the absolute pinnacle of hand-built exclusivity, Gateway is probably the better answer. If you want a legitimately quick, modern, silent classic — or still want the V8 experience at a lower price than the coachbuilders charge — Kindred is doing something the others aren’t.

The Ownership Experience

Unlike fully bespoke restomod houses, Kindred’s standardized approach means shorter wait times and more predictable pricing — you’re choosing from a defined model lineup and color palette (9 to 11 options depending on the model) rather than commissioning a fully custom build from scratch. That said, donor car sourcing still matters: Kindred needs a genuine first-gen Bronco, split-window Bus, or period-correct 911 to start from, and rising demand from restomod builders generally has made clean donor examples more expensive across the board. Kindred has also begun expanding distribution through dealership partnerships, including Sewell in Texas, signaling an ambition to sell more like a low-volume manufacturer than a bespoke workshop.

Why Multiple Platforms Instead of One

Most restomod houses pick a single donor car and go deep — Gunther Werks with the 911, Alfaholics with the Giulia GT. Kindred’s bet is the opposite: build one shared EV platform, then apply it across whichever classic donor cars have strong enough emotional pull and existing parts availability to make conversion practical. The Bronco, Bus, and 911 don’t share engineering lineage, but they share the Grayback platform underneath, which is what lets Kindred talk about production scale in a way single-platform restomod houses generally can’t.

2026 Status

Kindred is in active production on the EV Bronco and EV Bus, with the first customer EV Bronco delivered in October 2025 and EV Bus production targeting 12 units for the model’s first year. The EV 911 is the newest addition, announced in 2026 and limited to 12 units with deliveries expected in Q1 2027. According to Forbes reporting, the company is now producing more than 100 vehicles annually at its Mare Island facility and expanding into dealership partnerships — a genuinely unusual production scale for a restomod builder.

Verdict

Kindred Motorworks is what happens when someone from outside the classic-car world decides the industry’s biggest problem is inconsistency, not creativity. The Grayback EV platform and Blueprint manufacturing process won’t appeal to buyers who want a fully bespoke, one-of-one commission — that’s what Gateway Bronco and the European coachbuilders are for. But for buyers who want a genuine classic Bronco, Bus, or 911 that starts reliably, drives predictably, and doesn’t cost seven figures, Kindred is doing something close to unique in this space: treating restomodding as a repeatable engineering problem rather than a one-off art project.

The EV 911 is the one to watch. If Kindred can bring its standardized-production playbook to a platform that competes directly with Everrati and Gunther Werks, it will be the clearest test yet of whether the “restomod at scale” approach can hold up against houses built entirely around a single icon.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Kindred Motorworks?

Kindred Motorworks is a California restomod manufacturer based in Vallejo, founded by Rob Howard, that converts classic Ford Broncos, Volkswagen Buses, and Porsche 911s to modern electric powertrains — or, in the Bronco’s case, a refreshed V8 — using a standardized, repeatable manufacturing process rather than one-off custom builds.

How much does a Kindred Motorworks car cost?

Pricing starts at $169,000 for the gas Bronco, $225,000 for the EV Bronco, $249,000 for the EV Bus, and $299,000 for the limited EV 911. Exact pricing varies by color and options selected.

Is Robert Downey Jr. an investor in Kindred Motorworks?

Yes. Robert Downey Jr.’s Footprint Coalition Ventures led a $20 million funding round in Kindred Motorworks, citing both the company’s environmental mission and Downey’s personal interest in electric classic-car conversions.

What is the Grayback Electric Vehicle Platform?

The Grayback EV Platform is Kindred’s proprietary electric architecture, shared across its Bronco, Bus, and 911 models. It integrates battery management, thermal control, power distribution, and charging systems, and is designed to support up to 600 hp with room for future upgrades.

How fast is the Kindred EV Bronco?

The EV Bronco produces 402 to 408 hp and 492 lb-ft of torque through a dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, with roughly 200 miles of range from its 80 kWh battery. Kindred has not published an official 0-60 mph time.

Where is Kindred Motorworks based?

Kindred Motorworks is based in Vallejo, California, operating out of a production facility on Mare Island.

More from Car Builder Spotlight

Kindred Motorworks isn’t the only boutique builder worth knowing about. Our Car Builder Spotlight series digs into the niche manufacturers, restomod specialists, and independent builders that mainstream media ignores.

• Gunther Werks Review — The California restomod house taking the last air-cooled Porsche 911 to 1,000 hp.
• Theon Design Review — The British restomod that builds a better 911 than Porsche.
• Kimera Automobili Review — The Italian restomod brand reimagining legendary rally cars.
• Totem Automobili Review — The Italian restomod house reviving the Alfa Romeo Giulia GT for the electric age.