Quote:
Originally Posted by DTurnbull
I think you're absolutely correct. I guess the "purists" only want to look toward "correct" as how it left the factory, and that's ok. That is correct, no doubt about it. But, these cars did change radically from one another as each owner felt it ought to evolve at that time. Does this mean anything? Probably. Does it mean that a modern car should "only" adhere strictly to factory specifications to be worth its salt, so to speak? I don't think so. I think "period" correctness is just as valid, but that's just me & my opinion.
Imagine, if you will, being offered to buy an original "period" correct car at a price you could afford. Would you dismiss it because an owner did something non-original or would you leave it? I guess it depends on what that item is, but most likely I wouldn't change a thing if it was period correct. Also, does changing something back actually make it less original? All this "only this is right" stuff makes my head hurt and trying to defend it only goes round & round in circles.
Two other things to consider. 1) Since the factory did not keep perfect records there is no way to know what was exactly correct to each and every car. And, 2) Since Shelby would assemble - at the factory - any car to their customers specifications upon request (a practice that still goes on today), does that make those cars non-original-originals? 
In the end, IMHO, if you want to build a "correct" car, then make it period correct any way you want. It's not like you're doing anything any differently than owners of that time did with their cars. It's all good.  |
A few comments...
Nothing wrong with your comments and I agree with some of them, but this is the originality forum, so those topics would better be suited for All Cobra Talk or Shelby Racing History.
The two cars you mentioned were not modified like that in the "time period", they are modern restorations, so that doesn't really back up your point.
Whether to put a 60s car back to it's "as left Shelby" condition, would depend on the significance of why and when it was modded. If it's got a famous race history or something that goes along with those alterations, then it might be better left as is. And some people will like the alterations and leave them as is, where as other's will undo 40 years of mods to put the car back to original.
If you look at Jay Bentley's car, it's an S/Ced street car with webbers and chromed everything under the hood. The car is not very "correct", but it's beautiful and if it were mine, I'd leave it just the way it is. I know Jay himself has been kicking around taking the webbers off and repainting the car a different color.
Now if you look at 3047, it was one of two S/Cs painted Hertz gold. It was painted blue/white long ago and lives most it's life like that. That car is currently undergoing a painstaking process to remove the blue paint to expose the original gold underneath. In this case, the car has much more significance in it's original gold coat.
But if you look at 3015, the first supersnake, it was originally black but it had no problem selling for 5 million being restored in blue. However, being one of only two cars, and the more valueable of the two (carrolls personal car, comp body), it could have been painted green with brown polkadots and it still would have brought good money.
Getting back to the point of this forum.... that is to share and discuss CORRECT Cobra detailing. Telling someone who is asking for correct details that it's okay to do something because a few cars that were incorrectly restored or altered have it, is counterproductive to this forum.
That's all, no big deal.
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