All this discussion about restoration overkill and cars becoming museum
artifacts as opposed to only being road worthy is misleading.
My impression of a 100% restoration has always been that the vehicle is
restored to factory/dealer/showroom condition meaning it's ready to
drive down the road. The paint, interior, mechanics etc. etc. are as the
y were when the car was new, not "customized" or altered.
Spraying an MGA, for example, with a metallic 2 step paint then covering
that with 5,6,7 layers of clear coat is NOT original. Installing air
conditioning, a 200 watt stereo or tinted windows, again, is not original.
The car may look great and be road worthy but IT IS NOT ORIGINAL, i.e. it
is not a true restoration. If I were judging a competition and saw an
entry like this I'ld give it low marks.
For me, the goal when restoring a noteworthy auto is to be able to drive
the thing down the road. This is the real indication of a succesful
restoration - the car looks and drives as if it were new.
my 2 cents.
Mike Lambdin
|