Curt,
I stand my ground! You either like to keep things original or you
don't - akin to being a little bit pregnant. My first category is
those who want an original car - NOT an overblown, chrome plated,
hand rubbed 200 times paint jobs a la Leno. I am/was the first
example in that everything was restored to original finish and colour
- no extra chroming, no new modern wiring, no non-period improvements
(unless had to be). As to Leno and such, they have a lot to answer
for - seeing old classics with paint jobs that cost more than a new
car is just an exhibition of $$$$$$. I suppose if they got
Michelangelo's David they would give him a jock strap in black satin
or an Armani suit !! Actually, no they would not do that but they
would have it soda blasted to take the dust etc off!
At 01:19 PM 6/17/2011, Curt/Nancy Arndt wrote:
>Barrie,
>
>With all due respect this is not a "black or white"... "either this
>, or that" issue. The first type of enthusiast you refer to
>typically restores and shows Bugatti's or Duesenberg's (with Jay
>Leno being the most notable exception) These cars are restored,
>shown, and rarely driven.
>
>One thing that the AH Concours group has been trying to get across
>to the Healey community is that OUR Concours DOES NOT mean the following...
>
>The car is a trailer queen and cannot be driven and enjoyed
>The car is a museum piece and cannot be driven and enjoyed
>The car cannot be modified discretely to improve performance and
>drive-ability. for example:
>
> - We allow radial tires with no deduction IF the car is driven at
> least 500 miles in the six months prior to being judged.
>
>-We allow the use of the Denis Welch or SC aluminum head on the 100
>without deduction. The original heads either have cracked or will
>crack in the future, and this allows the car to be driven
>anywhere. BTW the aluminum head alone without ANY further
>modifications doubles the power band and gives better than stock
>100M performance. (Ref. Mark Lambert's technical evaluation of the
>SC aluminum head.)
>
>- You can still do a heck of a lot of internal modifications to the
>mechanicals, that don't effect the originality as far as judging,
>and allow you to DRIVE your Healey. One great example is being dome
>on several Concours Bugeyes where the original smoothcase
>transmission has been fitted with all (NOS) ribcase internals. I
>brilliant solution which allows you to drive the Bugeye and fixes
>the inherent weaknesses of the smoothcase transmission.
>
>-We allow you to restore the car to the written standards of a
>Factory BMC car being shown at a major car show like, Earls Court or
>The Geneva Auto Show. This means that some of the normal factory
>production flaws do not need to be duplicated. Polished dashpots on
>the carburetors are what comes to mind, and there are others.
>
>Hell, you can put a 3.54 rear end in the car to improve highway
>driving, there is one in my BN1 whhich is being restored to Concours standards.
>
>If you want to find out more, contact "Mike Osipik"
><<mailto:mikeosipik at earthlink.net>mikeosipik at earthlink.net>, and
>order the 2011 Guidelines, now available in CD format
>
>Two quotes to remember, the first with my apologies to Jay Leno,
>states something like ..."Restore you car to 100% then drive it
>until it's a 60% car and re-restore it."
>
>Then there is my quote... "If I can't see it, then I can't judge it,
>and I don't care."
>
>Have I finally made my point clear?
>
>Cheers,
>
>Curt
>
>
>On Fri, Jun 17, 2011 at 8:15 AM, Barrie Robinson
><<mailto:barrie at look.ca>barrie at look.ca> wrote:
>David,
>
>
>Having been an incredibly dyed-in-the-wool AH concours fanatic and
>now a "not original" driver of a totally rebuilt MGB GT V8 I think I
>can qualify to comment on your missive. There are several different
>types of "enthusiasts". One of which is those who want to
>preserve the history and thus dote on originality. Another type is
>the one who modify their car and boots it round the
>countryside. The former cherishes cars in original condition, the
>latter realising that originality has gone, modifies and
>improves. But you have to be one or the other !!! The "crime"
>here is that the owner claimed it was a concours (original) car but
>it was a "runner" (albeit a worked over one). I think it has
>something to do with having your cake and eating it ? The
>"original" crowd likes to protect unmodified, but maybe in sad
>condition, cars - thus abhor people dropping in strange motorplants
>into original models or tarting up with goodies. That is why I
>found an abandoned stripped shell to build my V8 to "original" factory specs.
>
>Regards,
>
>Barrie Robinson
><mailto:barrie at look.ca>barrie at look.ca
><tel:705-721-9060>705-721-9060
>MGB GT V8 in great nick
>Aston Martin 1955 DB 2/4 MkII under restoration
><http://www.britishv8.org/MG/BarrieRobinson.htm>www.britishv8.org/MG/BarrieRobinson.htm
>www.britcot.com
><http://www.AMFClub.com>www.AMFClub.com
Regards
Barrie
barrie at look.ca
705-721-9060
|