There's got to be a stopping point on "Restification".....Please!!

Hot August Nights is just around the corner and a lot of enthusiasts are pulling their cars out. I saw one the other day that is everything that's wrong with hot-rodding or car restoration right now. It was a 1967 Impala-I liked Project Heavy Metal that Car Craft had several years ago. This car was waaayyy over the top however. The guy had over $80,000 invested in it. And before you ask, it was NOT an original 4-speed, 427 SS Convertible. It was a small-block, 2 dr coupe of which about half a million were built that one year alone. It had a $15,000 GMPP 572 crate motor. That I can deal with, everyone wants big power. It was the rest of the car I had a problem with. The trans was not a Turbo 400 ( which even 327 Impalas had that year, and we all know is bulletproof ) it was an electronically controlled 4L80E that the guy said he had $8,000 in!! Hello? 8 grand for a tranny when you can buy a heavy-duty, guaranteed to withstand 600 hp, TCI or B&M Turbo 400 and converter for about $1400!! Put a $2,600 gear vendors overdrive behind it, and you've got six gears and still have 4 grand in your pocket!! The rear end was a custom 9 inch Ford that he had $4,500 in. Why? 1967 Impalas had 12 bolts stock, and a posi carrier retails for about $500 through Summit racing. It had wildwood 4-wheel discs. Again, some 67 Impalas had front disc brakes stock, and their are a variety of companies that sell conversion kits for about $800 that include rotors, spindles, calipers,master cylinder, everything. The upper and lower control arms front and rear were all aftermarket, powdercoated tubular units,the bushings were all urethane, the suspension was all "Air Ride"-no springs or shocks, he had a custom rack and pinion steering setup, and 18 steamroller tires all-around. Doubtless, the car was fast, and I'm sure it handled and stopped way better than any 4,400 lb car has a right to. However-he's still not going to be throwing fear into the hearts of Z06 Corvette,New Boss 302 or Shelby Mustang, Dodge Viper, Porsche 911 or BMW M3 owners in a drag race or the twisties. To me, the guy wasted probably 40 grand that he didn't have to spend. Fire-breathing Rat? Check. Upgraded brakes? Check. Larger factory or aftermarket sway bars to improve handling? Check. But all that other stuff?  This guy was about 65 years old, and admitted that he was scared of it, as it went sideways anytime you punched it under 40 mph. So the guys got 80K in a car that has phenomenal performace that he's only going to drive on and off the trailer or like my grandma to "Show and Shines". And if he decides to sell it how is ever going to get 80K out of it? It's a cobbled up Impala, not a numbers-matching Six-Pack Cuda. People can do what they want with their cars, but I think he'd have been happier in the long run with a crate 427, a Turbo 400, and basic suspension and brake resto, and spent the other 40K on a Suburban to tow it with! Sometimes people have more money than brains. Mastermind