Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ray White]

I have always been conflicted between a good original old car or a a fully restored one. I could never really decide. That was until I looked at these photos. This old Bentley may be a little dog eared but it is a car which has been in one ownership from new until recently. The patina is charming. I could love this car if it came into my ownership.

If I had been able to sell the Dodge I would be picking up the phone.

I don't suppose there would be any chance of a swap?

https://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/bentley/mark+vi/279104

[ukdave2002]

Many restored vehicles look a bit plasticy, too much shine etc and I'd include my own restored MGA in this bracket. In 5 years time it may however have a desired / used look when things get a tad worn.

Dave

[Ray White]

Your MG may settle down like you say but when I restored my Triumph GT6 I hated any little scratch or dent that I picked up. In 38 years I restored it twice; each time I returned it to "as new" condition but eventually I could only get pattern parts which were not very good so I sold it before it deteriorated again.

My Austin Swallow is panelled in aluminium and although it has been restored and re painted several times over the years (same colour) it inevitably has developed a gentle patina that only coach built cars can acquire. That is why the Mark V1 Bentley with it's standard steel body came as such a surprise.

In reality, I would probably not be the best person to own such a car knowing that it would not stand up well against other such cars. A friend of mine has a beautiful Mulliner bodied Mark V1 which makes the factory offering appear somewhat "dumpy'; add in the tired look and I might regret not going for a restored car...

[peter scott]

I would go for a genuine unrestored good running but scruffy car over its concours equivalent any day.

(But people on this forum are probably tired of hearing me express this sentiment.)

Peter
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http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[Rootes75]

I love the original look, something with some history and character. A lot of vintage commercials are restored so well these days they almost look out of place cause they are so far from their working life.

Each to their own though and you can't fault someone from saving a vehicle.
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

[Ray White]

I appreciate there is a risk of going over old ground with this subject as we have discussed it before so I hope we can explore it again and maybe open a new chapter.
One of the most surprising things to come out of America recently is a backlash against all the over restored (and over priced) trailer queens. As seen on T.V. what some people are doing is returning extremely dilapidated vehicles to the road (not in the commonly seen 'rat rod' form) but in stock form with added decay.

I am not saying this is my preference but I do wonder if it will catch on here. For someone just getting into classic cars it could be a low cost option - and vehicles that many will have passed over might get saved.

I suppose the risk is that with the historic vehicle exemption from MoT inspection the image of the old car hobby could be damaged by people running around in old heaps that would probably have failed the test.

When I was a boy most people tended to look down on old cars and thought that people who ran them were "scruffy oiks" . I wouldn't want to go back to that.

[Rootes75]

It is funny how the trend has changed over time. When I started out with classics 20 odd years ago everyone wanted a restored car, now many search for the oily rag or barn find.
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

[alastairq]

[Ray White]

At the risk of trawling over the old M.O.T. chestnut, I can only suggest that if modern cars are regularly failing the M.O.T. there is nothing to indicate that as a car gets older it becomes less likely to fail the Test. Some people look after their cars; others do not. The inspection by a qualified tester at least pulls up those who don't keep up with car maintenance.

[alastairq]

[Ashley]

The problem is that regardless of whether they are patinated or perfectly restored, cars deteriorate. Therefore it’s nice to see either a well preserved or a really well restored car knowing the only way they’ll stay that way is if they’re preserved in a climate controlled garage and used little.

You also have to consider the problems of patinated cars. It’s easy enough to make them mechanically sound, but rust and rotting wood frames are another matter, unless of course, you are an admirer of deliberately aged examples as are finding their way into the VMCC at the moment.

[Rootes75]

I am not an advocate of deliberately ageing a vehicle.
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

[Ray White]

I once thought I had "discovered" a hitherto unknown veteran car and contacted Mike Worthington Williams to see what he thought about it. For a while many people were taken in but eventually Mike worked out that someone had taken a 1906 model and aged it with replica parts in a deliberate attempt to pass it off as a potential London to Brighton runner; substantially increasing it's desirability and value as with all pre 1905 cars.

[colwyn500]

[Ray White]

So does the 1948 Bentley Mark V1 that I linked to meet the "time warp" criteria or is it just a bit too tired?