The Philosophy of Restoration

[Lippyp]

This is a debate that's been running for years in the classic car movement over here in the UK. We have tire companies re-commisioning old moulds to start up making the correct cross-ply tires for say Jaguars, so that the real enthusiasts can have period correct tires. Having cut my driving teeth on my dads VW Beatle complete with cross-plys of indeterminate origin I can happily say I would far rather put a good set of radials on a car than run on the "correct" cross plys.

I think there is a case for all sides. I hate to see particularly rare cars being hacked about, but see nothing wrong with, for example, making a Sebring replica MGB or a Macau Spitfire, there are and will always be plenty of standard cars out there.

I am also a believer in bolt-on mods, if you can easily return it to standard then hey what's the problem. Modern road and driving conditions have changed hugely, car design has changed too, what is wrong with stealing a few ideas. I had a Triumph Spitfire 1500 a few years ago, they are renowned for overheating in traffic, an engine oil cooler and an electric fan cured that problem easily and left the car much more driveable.

My 67 truck has a 350, an electric cooling fan and other bits and pieces and I love it. I can also appreciate the work that goes into a true restoration. In the 80's and early 90's it was popular to hack up old LandRovers, stuff big engines into them, lift em, carve up the bodywork etc. Now there is a much bigger towards sympathetic restorations, not neccesarily Pebble Beach concours, but just ending up with an original looking vehicle with maybe a few modernising touches. It comes in cycles.

It is important that there are some people out there doing period correct "restorations" or you could lose an important slice of your motoring heritage. Just don't hack up the rare ones!