Whilst some of the cars featured on this site in the Resto section are mindblowingly well finished, they are often taken to a level way in excess of what they ever came out of the factory like, and that's fine of course. Athough I'm always very impressed with them, I find I'm more appreciative of a car that's been looked after from new and has had no welding or paintwork but still looks factory fresh.

So, what about everyone else - what do you find the most impressive a perfectly finished restored car, or a slightly less well finished but totally original car?

 

Both have their merits. I love seeing a car as it came from the factory, or restored to as such. I'm not a fan of detailed undersides, arches, chrome engine bay etc as the car then becomes totally ununseable and every time it goes out requires a toothbrush and a ramp. That to me defeats the object. Those who do it I do have alot of tiem for, but going that far isn't for me.

 

i prefer original cars.. ones that i know are 100% original.. that way when it comes to restoring it i know it will be 110% perfect as im doing it myelf.

 

I think it was some of the early escorts and anglia's that would have the body colour misted over the brake drums as they would fit them first in production ( correct me if im wrong), and i have seen restorers deliberately misting their brake drums to gain this effect. :s

I think the whole completely restored beyond factory is more impressive. Like colour coded parts and fresh paint on nearly everything. Just looks cleaner which gives the wow factor imo.

 

I do love the original untouched factory look. I think this is true Concourse. Going to a few of the Ford shows it seems to many of us ignore this and just try to chrome and polish as many parts as possible.

I remember watching an American Car programme on Sky, the guy had a Ferrari in California and he wanted it rebuilt to concourse. The workshop were looking over the car and they actually made notes of over spray underneath and other 'factory errors' as they were going to be recreated when they rebuilt it.

I do appreciate both types and to a certain extent it depends what you have to work with. I would love a totally original untouched example but I bought a bit of a wreck and so most of my car is new rather than how Ford intended.

Cheers

 

I like both types.....I like to see a resto on an old rotter because its fascinating seeing the attention to detail.....not sure about people recreating oversparay etc for concourse but each to their own

There is something awesome about a mint untouched low miler though

 

that's the worst idea i've EVER heard

"is that overspray original or resto'd?"

could be a deal breaker when buying a mint car

 

Original for me! Love it one olders classics are found in barns etc... And left in that condition. There was a very very rare Ferrari thats being kept in 'worn' condition instead of restoring it. Love that

 

Nothing bores me more than a car show full of bufties, my idea of a car is one that is used, not just for the drive to mot each year.
I am vastly more impressed by a well looked after sensibly modded one, that looks std, but not to a stupid extent.
tabetha

 

I think to see a car of 20 or more years vintage with still all it's original paint, panels and never having seen a welder but still be in mint condition impresses me because it's a real credit to its owner/s and how it's been looked after over many years. I mean anyone can throw a shed load of money at say, a Mk.2 Escort RS1800 for eg. with a body and chassis like cheesecloth - paint, powdercoat or chrome everything in sight, and although it's impressive to look at, personally I'd respect it more if it were all original although it would less visually impressive.

I know that in many cases with old Fords, restoration is the only option and members on here don't simply hand it over to a restoration specialist with an empty chequebook, and almost everything that I've seen on this site is done themselves which a credit to them and always impressive.

 

Personally there are 2 classes of these modern-classics of ours - Bufty cars (restored or not needing it) and daily drivers - and in the end even the daily driver will need a restore - and what do you do when it's restored? Try and keep it Bufty, even if it gets you to work and the supermarket?

I guess mint MINT un-restored cars will always be thought more genuine and worth more money.

Just find one first.

 

Original is always going to be the holy grail but restored is more practical.

 

take the 8000mile 3 door that was for sale on the rsoc for example, it had a few scratches but was un restored. The owner demanded more money for it as it was not painted etc

 

And was he justified in asking a premium for that reason, do you think - and more to the point, did he get it?

 

When i 1st got my 3dr i got it with the intention of concourse, it was totally standard, down to d40 & exhaust with 17k on clock and 1 owner and completely mint!!!... took it to 5 shows and got nowhere cos i was up against total rebuild cars with everything replaced.... bit gutted so went down the modified route instead...

 

When i restored my cabbie, i tried to do it how Ford would of done it.... IF they had ever done a production Rs Turbo Cabbie.

 

I prefer the car to be minty clean so to get this restoring is the only way really to get it to a level i'm happy with.

 

That is an extremely good point, mate and I totally agree with you. I won my concours trophies (Ford Fair, XROC National Day etc.) with my totally original, unrestored car, but I've seen cars since then in the same class that I'm sure I'd have lost to had I been up against them back then as they've been totally rebuilt. Ford just never finished off certain areas of the car as well as some of these guys are building them these days. It was one of the reasons I stopped doing it.

 

See Robbos1 that is mint and never welded!

 

i always think of this when im at shows, i think any old car in good condition is exellent but my father has an old car (now dont laugh) a morris minor traveller 1 owner 30,000 miles always garaged, original wood , never had paint, etc car is imaculate but obviously the finish back in 1971 wasnt up to todays standards, so when he goes to shows the blue rinse brigade just dont like it and he gets no-where, but as with some of our old fords finding them with low milage and standard is rare, and not to cause an agurment but shows now adays are won by the person with the biggest wallet and not the best car

 

I do like to see a nice genuine, original car. But mine gives me the horn everytime i look at it, and it will get used and abused






Steve

 

Merits to be imo, a mint unrestored is interesting for the fact it is sold old yet still so mint. While a restored car is impressive in the level of work that has gone into it.

I do find that after you have looked at one or two though I get bored and actually like to nosey round the cars that get used everyday and still look nice without being box fresh like an ornament.

That or the skillfully moddified like twins S2, you could spend hours looking at all the clever little bits.

 

Both form me too.I think its good that people spend loads of time and effort restoring the cars.

 

Restored for me.

Lets not muck about when they were stamping Fords out of the mould, they didn't really care too much. hence why so many cars have teething problems in their first few years of ownership.

The person that improves but keeps to the original designers breif is what apeals to me. A car that's been sitting for 10 years in a barn is still going to need all the rubbers and fluids replaced. Whereas the car restored to "beyond factory" with poly bushes and all the modern fluids and PROPERLY waxoiled (unlike the factories) will last a damn site longer imo.

Having said that who really wants a pair of shoes that lasts forever?