14-03-2018, 01:17 PM
On Ruairidh's thread about his father's RK, it is nice to see the characterful touches which 'stick' over time. It struck me that many people walking around Beaulieu are either searching for the way to correct something "properly" (towards the perfect order of a "restored car") or as mentioned in that thread, using knowledge to identify things which deviate from that perfect order which Wyatt and Rinsey Mills teaches us. Yet someone with very original cars mentioned to me that they yearned for something to tinker with properly rather than just fix.
One car I know as a special was re-built in the early 60s - and has its own patina relating to the owner driver and his mindset then, materials available and his needs for its use. Should that be restored to a vintage car?. Probably, if those qualities ever get into the hands of someone who doesnt recognise them so much, then it probably will. But my gut feeling is that it is more special historically now because it has those qualities; has those extra layers.
It feels quite freeing realising that one has flexibility to do things within the parameters over what is morally right. i.e. if something has already deviated from the norm and is lost, then anything goes. I'm presently thinking of lightness as a way forward for a project - abandoning what not needed (if it's not original).
The forum seems to get a bit sniffy about special builds where the goalposts become too wide to involve the majority here. But most posters keep the threads on message linking back to the core values, I'd say? Leave as is!
One car I know as a special was re-built in the early 60s - and has its own patina relating to the owner driver and his mindset then, materials available and his needs for its use. Should that be restored to a vintage car?. Probably, if those qualities ever get into the hands of someone who doesnt recognise them so much, then it probably will. But my gut feeling is that it is more special historically now because it has those qualities; has those extra layers.
It feels quite freeing realising that one has flexibility to do things within the parameters over what is morally right. i.e. if something has already deviated from the norm and is lost, then anything goes. I'm presently thinking of lightness as a way forward for a project - abandoning what not needed (if it's not original).
The forum seems to get a bit sniffy about special builds where the goalposts become too wide to involve the majority here. But most posters keep the threads on message linking back to the core values, I'd say? Leave as is!