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[Healeys] Contradict myself? Never!

Subject: [Healeys] Contradict myself? Never!
From: Editorgary at aol.com (Editorgary at aol.com)
Date: Sat, 18 Jun 2011 18:47:10 EDT
> Gary,
>
> You contradict yourself! If the scoring system evaluates
> originality then originality is important and desirable. So if one
> wants to be a top rated car then messing with originality is a no-no
> - and that is what I said. Some people will cling to originality
> (I have just spent 5 hours in restoring the battery cut off switch
> for my 1955 Aston because the perfect reproduction does not have the
> small raised Lucas logo - (too expensive to get it cut into the mould
> !?) Some would just put in the perfect reproduction, albeit without
> the raised logo. So I maintain I am a different type (not better)
> than than those who would just substitute. It is a mind thing and
> reflects in the cherishing of the original cars.
>
> Bearing in mind my 5 hour stint are you maintaining that I am the
> same type of car buff to the one that just puts in a repro. Would
> you mark my car with the original the same as the one with the repro?
>
> If you remember I am not critiquing concours judging - I am saying
> there are different types of owners. Those who passionately cling to
> originality and those who accept substitution and non-period enhancement.
>
> As to Jay Leno I applaud his collection and saving actions but I
> cringe when I see a 20's, 30's, etc cars with supreme paint jobs and
> prefect bodywork.

No, I don't think I do contradict myself. I noted that the concours scoring 
system evaluates both originality and condition, and gives points for each, 
and then gives gold, silver, and bronze awards denoting how close the car 
has been restored to original standards.
Our official concours attitude is that cars can NOT be restored exactly as 
original and still be operational and capable of being enjoyed. 
First, original tires no longer are produced except the ones used on the 
Convertibles, and that bias-ply tires, while a hoot to drive, aren't really 
safe in modern traffic conditions, so we allow people who drive their cars to 
use radials. So we've already slipped a few degrees down the slope to 
non-originality.
Second, for the car to be started, much less driven, hoses, belts, gaskets, 
and seals must all be new or nearly so, and compromises will be made there 
as well.
Third, new-original-stock parts are very difficult -- sometimes impossible 
-- to find and the very act of existing for 50 or more years will cause a 
part to deteriorate to a point where it will show wear, so we have to 
trade-off condition for originality in many cases, but by giving more points 
for 
originality than for condition, we try to discourage people from willy-nilly 
throwing away the old slightly-worn part in order to have a bright shiny new 
one.
Finally, we try to encourage people to go the extra mile to recondition the 
old part -- for example, Roger Moment just rebuilt my cut-off switch, 
because I have a BN7, and the cut-off switch for the BN7 has a shaft that is a 
quarter-inch shorter than the one on the BT7 -- of course, no one reproduces 
the shorter shaft because the one with the longer shaft will fit everything. 

The bottom line is that you can value originality as a goal while accepting 
that, first, it is unachievable in a car that is as presentable as it was 
when new, and second that owners who drive their cars should be permitted 
some leeway in the interests of safety and utility.

Second, some people prefer a car that is "better than original" in terms of 
condition or performance, so they do "upgrade" their cars -- whether it's 
by using a two-pack paint job on a carefully-prepared substrate or by putting 
in a modern exhaust, or oil filter, or flywheel, or whatever. There's 
nothing wrong with that. It's all part of the hobby.

On the other hand, when an original car is found (as this one might have 
been when it had only 750 miles on it and had been stored inside since new, if 
that was a true story), then it has significant non-monetary value for the 
information it contains, which will be lost the minute any level of 
refurbishment or restoration begins. That's what we all find unacceptable.

So it isn't a matter of being all original, or all modern and modified. T
here are infinite degrees of possible conditions between the two. 

Gary

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