She didn’t just buy a vintageBronco—she learned to rebuild the transmission, brakes, and interior herself
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Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, The White Lotus, Anyone But You) went viral when she documented the restoration of her 1969 Ford Bronco on TikTok. Then she took on a 1965 Mustang. Turns out the “second dad” who taught her how isn’t any old Jiffy Lube tech—he’s Rod Emory of Emory Motorsports, which builds the “Outlaw” Porsche 356 restomod. Watch Sweeney finish up her Bronco in the video embedded below:
Sweeney says she first fell for the 1940s Ford pickup truck on her family’s farm. She drove a 1994 Toyota Land Cruiser to LA. After making it big in Hollywood, she bought herself a 1969 Ford Bronco. She told Kelly Clarkson what happened next.
“My best friend’s dad builds and restores classic Porsches. And I bought this Ford Bronco and called him up. He’s been like a second dad to me my whole life. I was like, ‘Hey, I bought this old car, I want to fix it up but I kind of want to learn how to do it myself.’ And so he let me bring it into the shop and he just walked me through every step, and we changed the transmission, the brakes, the interior.”
—Sydney Sweeney
That “second dad” is Rod Emory, owner of Emory Motorsports. Rod has his own Ford connection. “My grandfather, Neil Emory, was a custom car builder back in the early days. He was one of the guys who pioneered channeling and sectioning early hot rods.” Later, Neil went to work for Porsche, and eventually Rod caught the Porsche bug. Today, Emory Motorsports turns out some of the finest early-Porsche restomods from its Hollywood shop. You can see his 356 “Outlaw” in the Jay Leno video below:
You won’t be shocked to hear Sweeney’s working on a vintage Porsche next. While Sydney Sweeney may be the patron saint of the Gen Z vintage car enthusiasts, she’s far from the only one. Hagerty found more Gen Z drivers are collecting classic cars than previous generations. Other Gen Z influencers who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty include Tati, an English Land Rover enthusiast who runs “Over in the Rover,” and Andrew, a University of Idaho-based Chevy fan who goes by “The Dorm Room Mechanic.”
