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| Click pic to read about the time Steve Jobs helped this Classic Car Owner |
At what point do conservation efforts push a Classic from being "original" to one that's considered restored?
Craig H.
Your recent post focuses on "pure" restorations and conserved Classics. There are a lot of other classes, like RestoMods, Hot Rods and Customs. How do we use Garagistry to value these other types of cars?
Alan S.
It's Not Like Left Twixt vs. Right Twixt
Going back to the two main categories of Collector cars:
It is true that "Original" Classics have to receive numerous maintenance efforts to keep them operational. The goal is to keep them as close to perfectly original as possible. This technically means they have, to some degree, been restored. But the focus is on how little of the car has been affected by these repair and restorative efforts.
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| Click pic for our Morgan 3-Wheeler posts |
- SURVIVOR® Certified cars are over 20 years old, can pass a 20 mile road test, with over 50% of the car remaining unrestored, un-refinished, or unaltered. Over 50% of its finishes remain good enough to serve as reference guide for restoration of a car just like it.
- SURVIVOR® Fingerprint Certified car must be at least 30 years old, pass a 20 mile road test, and be over 75% unrestored with 75% of the original finish qualified as a reference template.
- SURVIVOR® ZZenith Certified, the highest rated vehicles must be at least 40 years old, pass a 20 mile road test and is at least 90% unrestored with a corresponding 90% of the original finish qualified as a reference template.
Restored vs. Rehabilitated vs. RestoMod vs. Custom vs. Hot Rod
Restoration means your Classic has undergone a thorough and complete restoration returning it to original "as new" condition. The result is a beautifully preserved automobile in factory-new condition with authentic parts – just like it came off the showroom floor decades ago. But there are drawbacks to a full restoration.
There Are Numerous Sub-Categories and Classes
We'd like to use three main descriptive categories of Classics that lay outside of Preserved or Restored. They are almost always "Partially Restored" (AKA - Rehabilitated):
- Stock configurations
- Modified configurations
- Professionally Built configurations
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| Ex.-This 'Ron Pratt 40 Ford Pick-Up by Boyd Coddington sold at B/J Scottsdale for $374,000 (Click pic to view) |
There are additional groups of vehicles, such as "race only" category. As an example, they could include drag race, road race, Trans Am and others. Valuing these vehicles could be even more difficult, but those which have survived over 25 years are likely to have very interesting, sometimes important, histories. Garagistry works for these various categories of Classics as well.
Herein Lies the Problem
With so many different types of Classics and unlimited levels of rehabilitation possible, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to judge the condition of a car with your eyes, during a test drive or basic inspection. As such, it's also impossible to accurately gauge the potential historical or monetary value of a Classic. The result is the value will be downgraded until the risk of the unknown is in line with the perceptions of the appraiser or buyer.
The only way to eliminate this problem is to meticulously and honestly record the known history, all the details, photos, stories and available documentation into a single dossier.
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| Click pic for the story behind this dirt track Harley |
We'd like to again recommend leveraging a Garagistry subscription to provide all the tools you'll need to accurately compile the records of your Classic. Unlike the use of multiple online services or traditional methods, Garagistry automatically organizes all of the documentation into a single account with the records of each Classic cataloged individually.The details are only accessible by you, the account holder. Stored documents are never shared, sold or available to the general public. Garagistry is accessible by any web enabled device. You can view, edit and research your Classics anywhere a wireless signal is available. Furthermore, with quadruple redundancy, your account provides the most reliable and durable method of digital record keeping for your Classics.
Paper, Then Floppy Drives, CD's and PC's. What's Next?
Some owners have asked, "Why online and why is digital record keeping so important?" There are several very important reasons.
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| Loss of this original document could cut the value by 30% or more. Click pic for more about COPO's |
Second are the issues of digital media. In less than a decade, methods to collect and store digitized records have undergone dramatic changes. Third is accessing the digital media itself. You'd be hard pressed to find any way to connect a floppy drive or use a serial or parallel cable with any current computer. 
An increasing number of computers and laptops no longer include CD/DVD drives. They have also never been a component of tablets or smartphones. Furthermore, most of today's operating systems (OS's) are bypassing recognition of these older devices and their needed connections. The only way to overcome these constantly changing technologies is to choose the storage and access methods with the greatest possible lifespan. Garagistry is ready for you today and tomorrow with features technology experts support; a combination of an online interface, cloud-based storage and wireless connections (AKA-Cloud Computing).
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| Click pic to read why 100+ yr old documents destroyed |
UP NEXT- Getting started on your vehicle dossier
