surfevo

I was reading an article on a beautiful 53' outlaw here: http://autoeclectic.com/august

Article starts on page 60

The question came to mind:

What is better to restore a 356 to the original glory or to make a few mild upgrades for the purpose of enjoyment?

Read the article as this outlaw is awesome.

Post you thoughts below

RJT

I think if the car you are starting out with is 100% Original and in need of a restoration, PLEASE by all means keep it all original. If the car is not 100% original, if the engine is not original, or if the interior is not original, go ahead, make it an outlaw and have some fun with it.

We had some purists question why our '55 Continental was turned into an outlaw since there are not that many Continental coupes out there. Well, when you are bringing back a car that wasn't in great shape to begin with and was no longer all original &/or the engine was not salvageable, it was better to bring it back as a kick butt outlaw than leave it to rust in someones backyard. At least it is out there and in circulation now and not just gathering weeds and being used as a home for field mice.

356Speedster

A much debated question. Of course, the opinions within the 356 community span the full range from "Keep in original" to "Do what you want - it's your car." I don't think there is a simple rule that the majority agree with. As JoAnne says, for some it depends on what you're starting with. Others may hold to a fixed position, regardless of what you've got. A few years ago, I published in the 356 Registry magazine a survey started at the 2004 Speedsterfest of how Speedsters were currently equipped and set up. Bottom line, not many cars were really original, and when I was there, no one seemed to be upset about this. There are always varying opinions about this option or that way of doing something, but whether certain features are original seems to matter most only at judged concours (and the judges often don't know as much as the owners). My '58 Speedster just won its class at the Keeneland Concurs even though I restored it with a number of Carrera GT features, just because that's the way I wanted it. Of course, if pressed, I could argue that these features were all used in production cars at the time and were often options, even though my car did not leave the factory that way, and I did go to a lot of trouble to make sure that my modifications are quite accurate.

All in all, I'm not sure that restoring a car to "as delivered" specs is really important to all that many folks. Many are certainly content it the deviations from originality are at least consistent with period production specs, such as using a paint color that was at least available for the year of the car, etc. Modifications that were made to a car "in the day" are often considered acceptable (for example, the exhaust cutouts in the rear valence of my car had been covered over when I got it in 1988, a feature I retained because I planned to use a Sebring exhaust). Then still others appreciate tasteful modifications that give an overall effect that is pleasing and show an owner's enthusiasm for the car. Maybe that's what counts the most - that a car shows the owner's passion for 356s.

Jim Johnston

RJT

BINGO !!!






PS: Jim ~ I think your car is stunning!

bleucamaro

I agree whole heartedly with Jim’s comment:
Not to wax philosophy, but the big question should be asked from within, “What matters to me?”

When you ask yourself this – before starting a build, or buying the car for that matter – you get the stronger idea of where you want to end up, and that is a different location down a different road for most everyone. If your goal is for instance, resale value, you may want to consider the significance of your car before cutting it up, as some will bring more money in a restored state than modified, and some vice versa. Also, the significance of the car may also dictate the level of detail put into the restoration, with a Carrera Abarth getting far more attention than a Super90. Point in case: one day when at Sears Point, we were checking out the old shops behind turn 11 and there was a guy in there with a Ferrari Lusso on a body cart. It was obvious it had just come back from paint and looked gorgeous, but still naked with nothing assembled to it. In our conversation it was revealed that he had over $60k just in the body and paint work. On that car its well justified as each incremental detail only adds value to the car.

Now, with the car you want to own, what is your goal? Are you fanatical about originality? Do you like concours? Would you rather have a better performing machine, a better looking machine? What does “better looking” and “better performing” mean to you. Does it mean that it looks more period correct, or looks racier, or goes faster, or is more reliable, or functions as it did when it was new? These are questions that only you can answer for yourself as everyones idea is a bit different, and how they project their opinion onto others also varies. . . and whether or not you care about that projected opinion also varies. To me, my opinion regarding how a car is built, regardless of its “originality”, or level of customization is strongly based on the quality of workmanship, attention to detail, and the ingenuity of the builder, all traits that show the owner’s passion for the car.

guydawger

I agree its up to the owner and when people talk of sacrilege to a guy who has upgraded or outlawed his 356 it erks me to no end. I own Porsches because I like to drive the crap out of cars. I drive Porsches because they are the most reliable best performing car ever built. I have modified every Porsche I have ever owned, because it makes them more funner to abuse. That said, if you rarely drive hard or just want to go to breakfasts and take scenic drives with other PCAers and such then its probably better to just spend your money on aesthetics and resto.

VERBOTN

Surfevo:

after many years of twisting I have adopted the "caretaker" role regarding cars. Truly special cars transend each owner and should be used and enjoyed for the now, what that means is different for everyone. enjoy the journey.

For the record I avoid subject by keeping it under a cover in my warehouse and thrashing my track-car.

RJT

BEAUTIFUL Guydawger !!!!!

Kahdmus

I go weak every time I see Jim's car....

Some fabulous responses here.

JackW

Personally I like the freedom of having a car that was heavily modified back in 1957 when it was less than a year old - even though I'm restoring it back to the way it was when it appeared on the cover of Rod & Custom magazine in 1959 I don't have to worry about keeping every little detail absolutely period correct.

I do feel like I'm the custodian of this car and I'm working to preserve it as much as possible but I don't have to obsess over some of the stuff that other guys do.

1BlinkGone

I'd take the same attitude about these cars as I do vintage guitars. If they are period-correct, and complete, keep it stock. If you don't, someday it will be ruined for somebody else who would want an all-original item. On the other hand (OTOH), if the car has already had some mods, or parts of it are not restorable, then have at it and make it exactly like you want it.

guydawger

craig.cootsona

This is a very interesting discussion to follow. Having restored a few cars I have also gone through these deliberations several times. Develop a vision of what you want from the car and be sure that it can meet those expectations. Having the vision of where I wanted restorations to go was very helpful because it's easy to lose sight when the car is exploded into hundreds of parts bags and boxes on every shelf of the garage at the half-way point.

Also, I let the car have a say too. Sometimes just standing around and looking at it will give some indication of what feels right. Some considerations are the history, current condition of the car, and how much of the original car is left. If the car left the factory and was immediately stripped and raced, that might inform the restoration direction since the majority of it's history was not in stock form.

In one of my restorations, the car was mostly there with minor rust so most of the original material could be saved. I decided to go mostly stock except for a few "bolt-on" modifications that could be undone should the next "caretaker" decide that. I rescued one project from under a wood pile, having sat there for almost 30 years. The body had severe rust and nobody would touch it so I decided to restore it as more of a racer feel because I would end up fabricating a large percentage of the car's body anyway. It was my call and if I had not done anything, the car would eventually be lost entirely.

Ultimately it's your car and anything you do is going to beat letting it rot under a wood pile.

Cheers!