To restore, renovate, preserve ?
This will always be a hot topic as every collector has their own view of what each term means. I remember what someone said to me some time ago, ‘it’s only original once’ ie as soon as you strip the paint, what little that may be left, and repaint it, then it is no longer truly original. What about in service repairs or modifications? Are these left in situ, as they are part of the machines history, or are they changed back to how the machine left the factory, destroying that part of it’s history in the process.
Thinking about my 1957 Land Rover in it’s tatty but loved state, I heard the comment, ‘every dent tells a tale’. Restoring the bodywork back to factory condition would destroy all that history and far too many vehicles are restored to a condition far better than when they left the factory eg perfectly flat, smooth shiny two pack paint.
