Another illusion shattered

Watched a rerun last evening of a popular car show that I always considered one of the best and most "real". Turned out the owner of the dealership had purchased a car with which I am intimately familiar, having spent a year+ of my life treating it to show restoration. I wasn't bothered by the fact that the dealer changed the color of several parts of the car to another original color. I was, however, dismayed that he changed several original and easily documented features of the car because in his words "it will sell better". No effort whatsoever to learn if the "offending" feature were original. I know, his car his money, but I'm telling you it hurt.

What kind of features? I can see removing driving lights and trunks and spot lights to make a car look better.

How about changing the design of a convertible top and eliminating side windows that are a distinctive feature of the car or painting over perfect nickle to improve marketability? As I said, it wouldn't bother me so much if we hadn't sweated the details of the restoration. Changing the color of certain body parts could be justified since the car was available with that color combination. The car did sell well so maybe he was right.

"What kind of features? I can see removing driving lights and trunks and spot lights to make a car look better." Mr. Peterson, you certainly are consistent but you failed to mention white wall tires, the bane of your existence! Some of us like trunks, driving lights and whitewalls and WE think they look great!

Jeff, I totally understand where you are coming from....having your hard work marginalized or ignored cannot be enjoyable especially when you went to great effort to do the job right. Painting over nickel? Yikes.

I'm sure I'm over reacting. I just didn't expect such a cavalier attitude from this particular dealer/restorer.

........... Mr. Peterson, you certainly are consistent but you failed to mention white wall tires, the bane of your existence! Some of us like trunks, driving lights and whitewalls and WE think they look great!

Must be beat up on Peterson day! I like white-walled tires too.

Got a set coming for my Suburban, have to do something to make it stand out.

It's easy to make a car "stand out." It's a bit harder to make it look good at the same time.

What you've described is sacrilege in any restoration industry. Painting over nickel is equivalent to painting over a beautiful wood grain.

I sure don't get it...

It's easy to make a car "stand out." It's a bit harder to make it look good at the same time.

Sounds like another quote from "Uncle Arni"??:cool:

I'm sure I'm over reacting. I just didn't expect such a cavalier attitude from this particular dealer/restorer.

At the end of the day it is all about the dollar. I have seen quite a few change a color for marketability. Does not make it right but it make business sense.

It's easy to make a car "stand out." It's a bit harder to make it look good at the same time.

Amen!!!! A siren on the roof is also a good mechanism if no red paint is handy.

"I've seen quite a few change a color for marketability," says Mr. Avgwarhawk above.

But that TV personality evidently doesn't recognize that we are HISTORIANS, CUSTODIANS

of antique cars. A color someone ordered decades ago is a part of history;

the taste of Joe's Bodyshop in 2015 is not. They should consider keeping it

original, as we in the A.A.C.A. would tell them. Would they change a few colors

on an antique oil painting because it might sell better, or because it would fit in better

with their new living room?

I agree! A true restorer does'nt paint over nickel or change paint colors soley for sales!

kaycee

I've seen plenty of really correct old cars with no eye appeal, which equals no interest from me. But I know other guys who love the non flashy plain Janes, because they are cheaper. For me, bring on the bling, wide white walls, accessory chrome,

optional colors good looks. Life is to short to drive an ugly car.

I know, his car his money, but I'm telling you it hurt.

I don't blame ya ... reading through your post, I feel your pain.

I've sold a few cars that I thought were going to good owners ... & well, not so much.

Cort www.oldcarsstronghearts.com

1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics | pigValve, paceMaker, cowValve

"I'm on a wheel of fortune with a twist of fate" __ Bee Gees __ 'Alone'

Life is to short to drive an ugly car.

My thoughts exactly.

No alteration on my part, Dave. Possibly a wide-angle lens did that.

Mr. Peterson, remember the saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Just needed to say that before I get back to installing a set of Trippe lights and trunk on my race car.

Big difference between restorer and dealer. You see the same thing in historic houses. Someone will go through the trouble of sanding ans staining wood to bring it back to it's original beauty. The buyer will say "The house is beautiful but too bad about all the dark wood". A few hours with a paint brush and all that hard work is hidden behind the latest popular pain color. Out of your garage, out of your hands. Still a shame though

I grew up in a 16 room Victorian Gingerbread home in a small town here in PA. After Dad passed Mom eventually had to sell it. For 100 years or so the house had never been any color other than white and was known locally by some as the "wedding cake". The new owners decided to make it look like those multi colored Victorians you see in Cape May, NJ and in my opinion destroyed most of the appeal of the house. At least they kept the narrow oak "Greek key" flooring and the open stair case. They closed in the outside balcony to add a second bath.

Esthetically I completely agree with West but if everyone thought the same way we did then there would be no cars to "save". Not to mention the extra cash generated at Hershey selling all the "accessories" I just ripped off my latest purchase.

I grew up in a 16 room Victorian Gingerbread home in a small town here in PA. After Dad passed Mom eventually had to sell it. For 100 years or so the house had never been any color other than white and was known locally by some as the "wedding cake". The new owners decided to make it look like those multi colored Victorians you see in Cape May, NJ and in my opinion destroyed most of the appeal of the house. At least they kept the narrow oak "Greek key" flooring and the open stair case. They closed in the outside balcony to add a second bath.

Reminds of this house in San Francisco, which I know in the 1920s was one color. Now it looks as though the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey moved in.

There is such thing as subtle class. One does not need to highlight every facet in a car's (or house's) features. Yes, the body lines are there. I see them. You don't need to hit me over the head with high-contrast color changes. What ends up happening is that you force attention to be drawn on the smaller features rather than the overall design.

Speaking of Victorian houses, people often say,

"It's always been white." But that's because the

Victorian multi-hued color schemes went out of style

later, and people's memories don't go back 120 years.

If you look at black-and-white pictures

of those houses when they were new, it's clear that

many, many were multi-colored--often 3 or 4 colors.

Even roofs were painted in color.

And if you look at colored illustrations in late-1800's

architectural magazines, they corroborate that multiple colors

on the same house were the style.

Now back to the car conversation of the day---

At the end of the day it is all about the dollar. I have seen quite a few change a color for marketability. Does not make it right but it make business sense.

I guess that's were the term "resale red" came from. I only hope that the parts that were removed were included in the sale of the vehicle and didn't end up on eBay, a true sign of a classless desperato.

Speaking of Victorian houses, people often say,

"It's always been white." But that's because the

Victorian multi-hued color schemes went out of style

later, and people's memories don't go back 120 years.

If you look at black-and-white pictures

of those houses when they were new, it's clear that

many, many were multi-colored--often 3 or 4 colors.

Even roofs were painted in color.

And if you look at colored illustrations in late-1800's

architectural magazines, they corroborate that multiple colors

on the same house were the style.

Now back to the car conversation of the day---

Well, I KNOW ours was always white. The Summer I turned 16 Dad made me scrape and piant the entire house, including about 30' of gingerbread. If there is one thing a hormone crazed 16 yo doesn't want to do it's spend the entire Summer up a ladder. That d@#$ed house had 48 windows.

Paint over Nickel??? I hate it when that happens... But as far as White walls, I could not see the Chartreuse Lady any other way. They give her that touch of Class. Dandy Dave!