[Steve Shauger]

A point I would like make is not many cars are untouched survivors. I would estimate survivors account for less than 1%. The remaining 99% are cars restored to various degrees. A concours restoration on a car that is severely damaged from an accident, modifications or the elements is a huge task. It takes skilled craftsmen to resurrect these cars from the ashes. Simply using a donor body and grafting in VIN’s from the original car (which I define as a rebody), is the easy way out and obviously should be a last resort. What is clear in this discussion is that if you are purchasing a car that has been restored you need a detailed portfolio with pics of each step and phase in the process showing what has been done. In the example we have been discussing a full upfront disclosure by the seller would have prevented the 5 pages of posts.

I guess I like restorations the old fashion way, with skilled craftsmen resurrecting these cars, while maintaining as much original integrity as possible. There are no shortcuts when correctly restoring a car. And kudos to the restorers that have the ability, knowledge and skills to bring these cars back to life. There are many fine examples that are just breathtaking.