Exhaust replacement 51 88-A

One of thing things that I loved about my recently acquired 88-A is the deep throaty rumble of the exhaust. After a recent overall check -up by my local shop (antique auto enthusiasts BTW), I was told that the exhaust system is in a bad way and needs replacing. Which might be why I have that nice rumble.

Rather than purchasing a new system from one of the restoration companies, they have offered to build a new one from scratch. I have a couple of questions about this and would appreciate people's opinions.

1. Is the exhaust system something that is checked at car show, would I be penalized for a non "original" or "restoration" system? (I will make sure that the visible part of the system, i.e. the tailpipe at the back bumper, remains the same.)
   
2. I do like the current deep rumble, and while I would not want a "hot-rod" type loud exhaust I am wondering how to keep what I have. I suspect a repaired muffler might quiet things down quite a bit.
   

Apologies to the community for peppering you with all these questions, I do appreciate all the answers and especially all the discussion around options when available.

TIA

Stefan

P.S. Regarding the first question above, I originally purchased this car to be a weekend driver, just to have fun driving around. However, it is in pretty good condition and I think I have been bitten by the "show bug". So now all decisions about repairs and changes are driven by, what would the impact be on judging .

Stefan, I have a custom installed 50 series flowmasters (dual) on my 55 and they did deduct points at the nationals because duals weren't' an option in 55. I have never had points deducted because of the way my car sounded at any show. Had I just used one muffler It's doubtful any points would have been deducted at all.

Just be careful on how radical you get with your exhaust sound what sounds good as you pull in to the hamburger joint may drive you crazy after a hour at highway speeds especially if you like to converse with your partner. Sound (noise) is a very subjective thing....Tedd

Just be careful on how radical you get with your exhaust sound what sounds good as you pull in to the hamburger joint may drive you crazy after a hour at highway speeds especially if you like to converse with your partner. Sound (noise) is a very subjective thing....Tedd

Thanks Tedd, and yes I will have to be careful with the level. My wife has a hearing issue which means she cannot have loud noise for too long. So I will never have the "hamburger joint" exhaust. But I still prefer that it does not sound like one of today's cars.

Good cruisin'

Stefan