by Gary Anderson Los Altos CA

Antique furniture sometimes is divided into three classes: There is museum quality furniture, which is acquired, preserved and displayed for its historical value - a tangible piece of another time. Then there is collector quality furniture, which is certifiably an­tique, but which is frequently stripped, refinished, and restored using original methods and materials. Its value is in presenting what the furniture would have looked like when it was first in use. Finally, there are reproductions - frequently of very high quality and craftsmanship, such as Williamsburg reproductions - that are made so that people who value the original style may have access to it and integrate it into their everyday lives.

These concepts, believe it or not, are relevant to comments made by Rudi Mark! in a "Backfire" col­umn published in the March 1993 Chatter. I agree with Rudi concerning the value of original, un-restored cars. Without these cars as reference points, there is no way that we can be sure of how the cars were originally produced - finishes, materials, brands, shapes, and methods of installation - when we seek to bring other cars back to their original condition in restoration.

Does this mean that no car should be restored for fear we will lose our connections with the past? I don't think so. Nine out of ten original cars cannot be driven safely and enjoyably in their un-restored condi­tion. So, for every car that can be examined for original fasteners, paint, and trim, we have a car that never again will provide the satisfaction and stimulation that it gave when new and could give again. For these cars, I strongly believe in restoration, including replacement of parts, repainting and refinishing, and so forth.

I happen to prefer that when putting these Healeys back on the pavement, they be restored to original standards. For me, the feeling of sliding into the seat of a car that looks like the one I first admired in the showroom and first experienced when the salesman took me out for a spin, can only be reproduced by a car that has been faithfully restored in every part to its original condition and specifications. But that is a personal preference.

Other people believe they can get in touch with the soul of the car by making improvements in its construction, components, and performance. Whether they install a Mazda transmission or a flathead Chevy engine, or perhaps just a rear sway bar and an air conditioner, their view is that the cars were intended to be sports cars and any logical, well-crafted im­provements in performance and reliability are justi­fied. These cars may sacrifice some relationship with the physical aspects of the past but they still offer their owners the same intangible satisfaction the cars did in their original condition.

In any case, I strongly suggest that when you start working on your behind -the-barn prize, that you photograph and document the details, and maybe save some of the parts so that we don't lose the information the car possessed when you found it. Only in that way are we ever going to answer major questions like how the cars were painted, or minor ones like when the factory stopped using a Girling decal on the fluid reservoir or began painting the body number plate. A scrap book with detailed pictures of the way every section looked when you got the car will be of interest when you try to remember later.

Which brings us to the few scarce low mileage cars in original condition that have through historic fluke been unused and forgotten since new. They look nearly the same as they did when they first rolled off the assembly line, with the same drips, rubs, and sometimes even finger marks left by the original guys on the line in Warwick or Abington. It horrifies me to think that someone might decide to repaint or re­upholster one of these original "museum-quality" specimens as long as the car can be driven safely, or just preserved and admired. In that area, I agree strongly with Rudi.

We need to find a way to recognize, and save these few cars as the treasures they are. I think it will be awhile before the Healey Clubs can afford to acquire or pay the cost to preserve such examples, though Rudi may be right in challenging us to set this objective. On the other hand, I am proposing to the other members of AHCR steering committee that we inspect such cars as they are, granting some leniency for wear-and-tear, particularly on parts that are no longer available. For such cars, an AHCR medal should still be achievable. We believe there may be as many as twenty gold-level original cars that are worth identifying and preserving as reference examples. For me and for other active members of the AHCR and for those who plan to one day restore their own cars to original, finding the means to save a few cars in their original and un-restored condition seems a worth­while objective for us to pursue.

Austin-Healey Magazine, July 1993