Classic American Magazine 330 October 2018 Back Issue

A few years ago a book came out called It’s Only
Original Once. For me it marked what was the
start of an increasing appreciation of unrestored
cars, filled as it was with original old cars that hadn’t
been restored or resprayed and wore their faded paint
or dulled chrome with pride. Sophia Loren versus Cher if
you like… There’s lots to be said for cars that haven’t been
extensively restored; arguably if you’re buying, you pretty
much know what you’re getting, whereas with one that’s
been resprayed, it can be questionable as to what lies
beneath all that glossy, seductive paint.
Of course driving a car with 40 or 50-year-old tyres
probably isn’t a great idea and at the other end of the
spectrum has been the rise of the ‘rat rod’ look, as
pioneered by raggarbil in Sweden; cars so decrepit-looking
that they actually look as if they’re on their way to the
crusher. I have to say that in my opinion the decline
in the obsession for taking a scruffy car and erasing
all its personality with a well-meaning, but ultimately
character-destroying restoration has been a good
thing. The buzz word it seems today is ‘preservation’,
not ‘restoration’. Amen to that.
And if you’re interested in preserving your car’s
character, you’ll enjoy our tech feature on looking after
old paint starting on page 58. In this issue we also meet
Noah Alexander, a young man whipping things up in the
custom and rod world stateside (that's one of his creations
below) and while we’re on the subject of patina, check
out the awesome ICON Bronco BR on page 65. It’s not
long until the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show and
we’re offering 10 lucky couples the chance to come along
and enjoy this fantastic show, so make sure you enter. It’s
really easy, full details are in the News pages 6 and 7. See
you there!
The rise and rise
of ‘Patina’
Ben Klemenzson