[showyourauto]

[ QUOTE ]
If the situation doesn't get addressed such that the newbies cant have a reasonable amount of confidence in the product, I'm afraid the hobby will die, or at least the part which revolves around original rare cars.

JMHO

[/ QUOTE ]

Carl, you outline the dilemma quite well. So what is the best choice? Adopt a popular judging standard as appropriate for the market too? I think we can all agree that people want to know that the car they are buying is genuine, how original it is, and where it's been before they got it (it's history).

Sellers are afraid of being punished (or motivated by greed) to be transparently candid about these points for fear the investment they made will evaporate.

Buyers attempt to place a limit to what they are willing to spend based on price guides, public auction results, and opinions of other enthusiasts.

Price guides DO NOT consider: Pedigree, correctness, originality, or the uniqueness of an individual car.

Public Actions (by in large) DO NOT give candid view of a cars originality, correctness, or a the history of a car, that is all on the prospective buyer. Price is based on an engineered environment to determine value, not the merits of a car- accept on rare occasion (like Body#1 Serial#2 '57 Chevy that hammered for $150k at BJ). That car earned because of her pedigree and provenance.

So the task is left to judges and enthusiasts groups to set the standard, each for the marque they hold interest in. Very often, these favor whatever restoration businesses happen to be active in the group, standards are set by those restoration practices rather than the factory that produced them in the first place.

Right now, a new buyer sophomoricly demands all original drive train, all original sheet metal, concours detail, and unimpeachable documentation for EVERY car as proof of authenticity. Otherwise, the car considered is worthless.

This all or nothing approach to valuing these cars is out of step with how they were used throughout their life, and fuels the temptation for owners to falsify their cars in order to protect their investment. In the end, it damages an otherwise perfectly genuine cars and undermines confidence in the market. This attitude is exemplified by the acceptance of "undetectable" restamps as co-equal with original engines in the Corvette hobby.

To make certain a car is genuine, for each make their needs to be a standard set, based on what can determine if a car is "real".

With Mopars, you have an engine code right in the VIN that shows if a car is a true HEMI or not. Is an NOM in a Hemi car endanger the car's pedigree? NOPE. Were most likely raced within an inch of their existence within the first 5 years of their life (damn skippy), should they be impugned because they don't have an original motor? NO WAY.

The same exercise needs to be done for every other marque for each major component of the car, drive train, chassis, bodywork, and paperwork. A minimum standard set to determine authenticity. That universal standard applied uniquely to each marque will be the thing that gives new buyer entering the hobby the confidence they need to spend their money. The other factors, such as originality and history is a matter of personal preference for determining value.

Overall, judging standards need to be in unity with what the market finds acceptable and reward what is preferable. Somehow, honoring what can be proved to be authentic and reward remarkably original while not diminishing what is less than perfect- because no car is.