puff4
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Well, what is or is not restorable tends to be a rather broad sliding scale and the suitability for either changes more often than the sands of the Saraha.
Restorability, as we've seen here, often depends on the depth of the pocket and the inspiration in the heart. A wealth of either one (and most certainly when both) means cars which other folks might have stripped and crushed can quite easily become prime restoration material for an inspired and/or flush owner.
Further, restorability also depends on scarcity and/or market value. Today we quite happily scrap a really perforated Alpine. But would we do the same with a Tiger? Probably not.
When I first found my 1957 Turner 950S there was grass growing up through the steering wheel and little existed of the car below the doors. But as it was the only one ever built (being the prototype), I was quite happy to sink a lot of time and money into the restoration. (I later won a number of Porsche Club of America and SCCA races with it, and more than a few concours prizes, too!)
Also, the answer changes over time. Whereas we might scrap a particular vehicle today because it's a 'piece of junk' (think Gremlin, Vega, AMC Pacer, Edsel, Isetta, Amphicar, Vespa, King Midget, Metropolitan, etc.), 20 or 30 years from now that destruction might become a great regret since the car may turn out to have gained value through nostalgia or by virtue of having become more 'cool' over the years.
Heck, when I used to own a restoration business we used to joke that some cars we restored were almost literally restored from nothing more than a tail-light lens! The owner, and his pocketbook, heart and foresight, are the only things that made the difference.
Restorability, as we've seen here, often depends on the depth of the pocket and the inspiration in the heart. A wealth of either one (and most certainly when both) means cars which other folks might have stripped and crushed can quite easily become prime restoration material for an inspired and/or flush owner.
Further, restorability also depends on scarcity and/or market value. Today we quite happily scrap a really perforated Alpine. But would we do the same with a Tiger? Probably not.
When I first found my 1957 Turner 950S there was grass growing up through the steering wheel and little existed of the car below the doors. But as it was the only one ever built (being the prototype), I was quite happy to sink a lot of time and money into the restoration. (I later won a number of Porsche Club of America and SCCA races with it, and more than a few concours prizes, too!)
Also, the answer changes over time. Whereas we might scrap a particular vehicle today because it's a 'piece of junk' (think Gremlin, Vega, AMC Pacer, Edsel, Isetta, Amphicar, Vespa, King Midget, Metropolitan, etc.), 20 or 30 years from now that destruction might become a great regret since the car may turn out to have gained value through nostalgia or by virtue of having become more 'cool' over the years.
Heck, when I used to own a restoration business we used to joke that some cars we restored were almost literally restored from nothing more than a tail-light lens! The owner, and his pocketbook, heart and foresight, are the only things that made the difference.
