Hypothetical Dilemma - Original v Restored

[outlaw118]

I've just posted a Jensen Interceptor on Ebay Tat, and scrolling through the selection on eBay made me wonder.

 

There's an "original" Series one going for £125k: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JENSEN-FF-MK1-VIN-119-165-/252099916990?hash=item3ab25374be

 

Or there's that one Cla**son tested on Top Gear, the Interceptor S, $148,000 apparently http://jalopnik.com/378321/jensen-interceptor-s-an-overhauled-legend

 So, i'm a heathen and would have the "improved" one. Anyone else?

 

[doobietoo]

Heart says original but as I like updating motors myself I think I would go for the LS2 version....

[mercrocker]

Original car's value probably skewed by being an FF....Notwithstanding that its an interesting dilemma probably only solved by living with both for a while and picking the most appropriate.   As a rule I am not keen on all this reworked stuff and original cars seem to remain the most sought after - Vicarage Jaguars seem to have pretty much disappeared for example.  

[Bren]

If improved means one that stops, handles better than original and does'nt overheat in traffic then that can only be a good thing. You can use it.

[outlaw118]

yeah, tis a quandary. But as Mr Bren just said, it's useability has been improved.

 

V-Eight limited who were flogging the "S" appear to have been dissolved.....

[doobietoo]

yeah, tis a quandary. But as Mr Bren just said, it's useability has been improved.

 

V-Eight limited who were flogging the "S" appear to have been dissolved.....

In a vat of acid by Jenson "enthusiasts"

[chaseracer]

In a vat of acid by Jenson "enthusiasts"

 

[UltraWomble]

Restored.

Keeps the car alive, use it - restore it again, improve it, make it original as possible do what you want - when you die someone else will do what they want to it.

Car lives on enjoyed by many more people who see it out and about doing what it was designed fro than living in a museum.

[PiperCub]

I'm biased really but like the old saying:

 

Something  (not just cars/bikes etc) can be restored many times but can only be original once.

 

Whether that makes a blind bit of difference is up to the personal view of the individual. I like original but with a few updates under the skin rather than restored as such. But agree with the sentiment of whatever keeps it alive, no point in it being a dead, rotting PoS in 'original' condition (who cares?) when it could be restored and live again.

[tooSavvy]

Ah, originality wonks.

 

NON factory air in tyres = kitten b-b-q.

 

You all know where I stand, then.

 

 

TS

[2MB]

The other day I saw a guy in a smart blue suit riding a green Vespa that was clearly 100% original and older than him, and he looked very cool. Restoration is a lot of effort and it shows positively but an original old vehicle is effortless. Until the old technology lets you down that is

[panhard65]

I have this problem with the Monet Goyon I brought in from France. 1949 and totally original even down to the tyres and bulbs. It doesn't need an mot to register it so at the moment the tyres can stay as they hold air and aren't too badly split (Michellins) I bought it to sell on and help pay for the Peugeot 204 I much prefer it as it is, but would it make more money fully restored or as it is ?????

 

[mercrocker]

There are three things here, really....Original as in Panhard's  MG, Restored to original spec as in the FF and restored/developed to a point beyond that intended or possible by the original manufacturer. 

 

Currently the market seems to prefer patina to paint - it may not always be so but if it does revert and favour restoration over originality you are left with the problem that you cannot then undo what has been done.   The dilemma between restoration to original versus improved is slightly easier, in theory, because if a car has to be restored at all it can subsequently be put back to a closer relationship to a standard vehicle without worrying about "original state".

 

All three situations really depend upon the market and the eventual buyer.   If it were me I would be leaving that Monet Goyon well alone because that is how I prefer it.  If I were selling it I would also leave it alone for that is how the best value would probably be currently obtained. 

 

Faced with a choice between the factory spec Jensen and the improved one, I am fully aware that the latter may be a much better drive and ownership package but enjoy blighted old cars enough to prefer mine "unsorted".   If that gave me a margin of cash to make my own "improvements" after owning the car for a while then that decision would be even easier to make.   As to whether to do this to a car with resale in mind, then the difficulty is gauging how many people there are like me in that marketplace I suppose.

 

My Minor is by no means a Jensen but I wish the bloke before me had not made his "improvements" - disc brakes and tele shocks seem on paper a good idea but they are not always well executed or indeed offer the expected benefits....

[xtriple]

I like both!

 

I love original old survivors with patina and care-worn paintwork but I love something that has been carefully restored back to 'factory fresh'. Just to be really awkward, I also love stuff that has been updated but still has lots of original features (bikes with modern forks, wheels, brakes etc but factory spec paintwork) and I adore cars that 'look' standard but are totally different under the hood and underneath.

 

Just like nice stuff really!

 

Oh, and I love the bike above as it is. How much?

[Split_Pin]

I agree with Merc here, patina appears to be in fashion right now. A fine line is drawn between that and our favourite gammon accompaniment however.

[purplebargeken]

Hmm, the Amazon is a 1965 car. It has been resprayed a long time ago. The mechanicals have either been refurbed or upgraded by the previous owner. 

 

I bought it as I was happy to have the car already upgraded.

 

I like original cars but I like the character of modified vehicles a bit more perhaps.

 

I'd buy both

 

Wasn't much help eh.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

As mercrocker pointed out the original isn't an Interceptor, I doubt you could pay anywhere near £100k for even the best Interceptor out there.

Saying that I'd have the FF rather than the modern thing because no matter how good it is its not a modern performance car( it wouldn't see which way an M3 ,that costs half as much, went) and it's not a cool old car and I think if and when the current classic bubble bursts mongrels like this and Eagle E-Types will look very poor investments. Whereas there were only ever about 300 FF's of all types made. What I'd like to have is one of the mythical FF SP's, preferably in yellow like my Dinky one when I was 7.

[Uncle Jimmy]

If improved means one that stops, handles better than original and does'nt overheat in traffic then that can only be a good thing. You can use it.

For £125k the original Interceptor damn well ought to stop/handle and not overheat.

[panhard65]

I like both!

 

I love original old survivors with patina and care-worn paintwork but I love something that has been carefully restored back to 'factory fresh'. Just to be really awkward, I also love stuff that has been updated but still has lots of original features (bikes with modern forks, wheels, brakes etc but factory spec paintwork) and I adore cars that 'look' standard but are totally different under the hood and underneath.

 

Just like nice stuff really!

 

Oh, and I love the bike above as it is. How much?

It looks like I am going to end up a bit skint next month so have put my bikes on ebay. Classified ad at £995 as I have no idea what it is worth

[Junkman]

Restored vs. upgraded pretty much depends on what you want to do with the car and who you are.

I don't drive much, have a dependable* newer* car* at my disposal if guaranteed arrivage is desired, but I cherish the 'vintage' feel, character and to a degree the susceptibility of unupgraded old cars. The romance of conquering the highway in true pioneer spirit, if you like (but with an electric fuel pump in a P6 V8, if you please. I also toy with the idea of fitting a ZF4HP22 next time it shits its gearbox).

Other people will want to drive more and cherish the reliability/driveability/economy improvements sensible upgrades provide.

Then you have the ones who like upgrades in form of chromed alternators and rocker covers and they paint their master cylinders gloss red and their inner wings gloss black.

I believe all these groups are comprised of real car enthusiasts, they just have a different outlook on motoring, that's all.

 

Oh, there is a fourth group. They carefully remove every last redeeming feature of a car that was rubbish to begin with and then call it "unique". That group is called "Dubbers".

[Clanger]

My P6 came with an electric fuel pump and I have a ZF4HP22 on the drive ready to install.  I am making several other subtle improvements to improve the driving experience... however, unlike TEH Junkman I cannot drive mine as it's in a million pieces and about 23 years away from completion