Survivors: Avoiding the crusher is just step one (Part I)

When you think about it, it is really a wonder that we have as many old cars left as we do. Imagine the work, effort, expense and luck that had to go into keeping around a 3000 lb hunk of out-dated metal? While many of these cars are worth oodles of money today, 50 years ago (or even 20 years ago, in some cases) those very same cars languished on used car lots as outdated hunks taking up space on the lot. Why use up valuable lot space on a Figoni et Falaschi bodied Delahaye that was worth maybe $3000 when you could replace it with a new Chevy worth $4000? No that Chevy is worth $40,000 and the Delahaye is worth millions--but hindsight is always 20/20 and if we knew then what we know now, my college fund that was set aside when I was a baby would have all been in Microsoft stock.

Today, we have a field of 200 completely different and unique marvels show up at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance every year. That is 200 unique cars that manage to survive anywhere from 120 to 30 years. Quite a feat, really.

But many of these cars survived only just. Some of them were nothing more than a box or parts or a rusted out old chassis lying in a field or in a barn. They had to be brought back to life by a team of skilled craftsmen and someone with the will and wallet to wait and pay for the resurrection to happen. The restored results often look fabulous, better than the factory could have produced in many cases (paint, leather, metal crafting, and just about everything else has advanced quite a bit in the last century), but on the same note, they are not longer the original car. They have elements, core ingredients really, that were crafted by the original assembly workers, but the vehicle has been worked over by modern hands.

Beyond the rarefied air of restored cars, however, there is something that can largely be considered a diamond in the rough. I am talking about original, unrestored survivors. Cars that have managed to avoid any form of appreciable destruction, deterioration, or wear since they left the factory however many years ago. These vehicles are something more, a step above their less fortunate brethren that were not cared for as long, loved as long, or simply unlucky enough to have been bought and driven in an inhospitable environment (which is pretty much anywhere but desert areas).

Next time I'll delve into the wonderful world of unrestored, original cars. I hold a special place in my heart for these vehicles since they represent the cream of the crop. They are cars that are not only still around, but are still (largely) the product of the people that original built them.

Pictures, clockwise from lower left, are of Ralph Lauren's restored 1934 Bugatti Type 59 (one of 6 or 7), JB Nethercutt's restored 1931 Bugatti Type 51 Dubos Coupe (1 of 1), Raulph Lauren's highly restored (by Paul Russell) 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic-Elektron Coupe (one of two built), Arturo Keller's 1938 Bentley 4 1/4 Liter Pourtout Coupe (1 of 1), and Joseph Cassini's 1938 Horch 853 Erdmann and Rossi Sport Cabriolet (one of two).

New Job

As those who know me or have read my profile here are aware of, I have been searching for a career involving vintage motorcars for sometime now. After much searching, my efforts have come to fruition as I have recently been offered, and have accepted, a job with Bonhams and Butterfields in San Francisco. I will be starting as the Business Manager in the Motoring Department there on March 20th.

In this role, I will be responsible for many of the administrative tasks involved with planning auctions for motorcars, motorcycles, and automobilia. I am hoping that besides working to plan and execute the busy auction schedule that Bonhams puts on each year (among other things), I will also be able to learn about the auction business so that my role in it can increase in the future.

Since I will be traveling to all of Bonhams' auctions, please do stop by and say 'hi' if you happen to visit one. The next auction on the calendar is the Brookline Collectors' Motorcars and Automobilia auction in Brookline, MA on April 21st. I look forward to meeting some of you at our future auctions!

Back from the Dead: Boxes to Vehicle (Part II)

Back in September of last year I left a cliff hanger of sorts by creating a post on restorations with the intention of making it a multi-part series. Due to lack of photos, however, I didn't make a part two, but now I can. The restoration of an automobile is a process that can be fun, exciting, expensive, and difficult. Depending on the car you are restoring, and the condition and completeness of the subject (as well as you determination to make it as original or unoriginal as possible), it can be a long road from idea to running vehicle. A skilled craftsman, a good understanding of basic mechanical work, and a steadfast commitment to completing your goals can all make for a successful restoration.

The question of when to restore something can occasionally be asked, and is raised more often that not nowadays. The relatively recent emergence of valuing originality over restorative good looks has created the question of what makes a survivor? I don't want to attack that question now (I will save that for a later date), but rather I'd like to focus on vehicles that are definitely not survivors, but are not so far-gone that they are beyond restoration. The most common source of these types of vehicles is, ironically, restorations.

The huge commitment of time required to restore a car (often hundreds or thousands of man hours) is daunting, and the decision to restore a car is much easier than the process of actually restoring the vehicle. It is also much easier to take apart a car than to put it back together again. As a result, many still born restorations end up as 'cars in a box' wherein the owner decides to restore a vehicle, takes it apart, may do some work on it, but never gets around to putting all the pieces back together again. As a result, these cars often show up as projects for others to undertake.

One such example of this is a 1952 MG TD that is being restored by my good friend, Dr. James Wagner, the President of my Alma Mater, Emory University. President Wagner is a car buff to the n-th degree and a fantastic constructor of all things mechanical (besides being a great University President). Recently, he acquired the MG in question in parts and has began restoring it. It is a process that requires a lot of work, but it gives those involved the best opportunity to learn how a car really works--because cars don't get much more basic than an MG T-car. As the photos indicate, the chassis/frame is almost complete, but the body still needs to be finished (these older cars are assembled like modern trucks, body on frame). The engine has been professionally rebuilt and looks stunning. The only problem I have with the car is the fact that is was purchased after I left Emory, or else I'd be there with grease under my fingernails too.

I look forward to seeing the completed vehicle in the future, but until then, it is a long road ahead. If you have the time, money, and wherewithal to do a restoration of a car that had ended up as parts in a box, I'd fully recommend the undertaking as a way to learn about how cars work, as well as to build your own vehicle. I've helped on a few projects, but I haven't done my own vehicle...yet. I think I'll need some more money, and a garage, before I can do that!

For a humorous review of a 1952 MG TD, check out the one on the CarTalk website.

Also, to read about someone's own restoration of an MG TD (with pictures), click here.