> That is more of a safety deduct than a original concours deduct and as it
> should be, safety first.
I certainly hope that's not true, at least not as a general rule. The "safety"
of a car has no place in a concours competition, except for VTR's decision to
allow *some* safety-related modifications without deduction.
A Ford Model T with original mechanical brakes is nowhere near "safe" to drive,
and yet I would hope that anyone showing up with hydraulic brakes would not be
judged "as original" !
In fact, almost all of the visible modifications I made to my TR3A were
safety-related. Certainly the wide wheels, low profile tires, anti-sway bars,
lowered suspension, high power headlights (and the alternator to power them),
uprated tail lights, additional brake lights, and uprated suspension bushings
were all done to "improve safety" ... yet I would expect to be laughed out of
any serious concours competition !
Don't know if they still do, but at least some of the antique auto clubs used to
have separate categories for "original" cars and "restored" cars. "Original"
cars were expected to look their age, albeit extremely well preserved, while
"restored" cars were expected to look "new". But I assume severely weather
checked tires would be a deduction even in the "original" category.
> a owner
> trailered his brand new 1500 Spirfire (price quoted was $65,000) from the
> restoration shop to the show field, it was totally brand new from 30 feet,
> raised the hood and there was a Skyblue engine block and blue manifolds as
> well as blue valve cover, interior was custom made from a design no one had
> ever seen and the owner was expecting "Best of Show", great resto.,
Which points up an extremely common problem, few people can agree on the precise
definition of "restoration".
Any time you have a shop do work for you, it's best to put in writing, in
detail, exactly what it is you want them to do. Give them a copy and ask them
to sign your copy. If you're looking for something to be done "as original",
then you must say so. If replacement parts must be painted the correct color,
then say so. Any reasonable shop will not only accept this, but welcome it, as
it makes their job easier and reduces the chances of future disputes. If you go
to a shop that refuses to sign, run, don't walk, back out the door !
Randall
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