Survivors - Where is the line drawn?

[Salvatore]

Won't need much IF the car was never restored. The car will prove itself.

[Starship]

I have been a Survivor Judge at Bloomington Gold almost since its inception. Their guidlines are that the majority (over 50%) of at least 3 of the 4 catagories (exterior, interior, chassis, engine compartment) must remain preserved intact, unrestored, and unaltered. And that the majority of the finishes and condition of at least 3 of those 4 sections be good enough to be used as a model for an authentic restoration. Yes, that means that a car with a replacement engine can still be a "Survivor". Wether you agree with these guidelines or not, they are the only ones that are recognised. Personally I'd like to see them tightened up a notch or 2.

[x Baldwin Motion]

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... the majority (over 50%) of at least 3 of the 4 catagories (exterior, interior, chassis, engine compartment) must remain preserved intact, unrestored, and unaltered. And that the majority of the finishes and condition of at least 3 of those 4 sections be good enough to be used as a model for an authentic restoration. Yes, that means that a car with a replacement engine can still be a "Survivor". Wether you agree with these guidelines or not, they are the only ones that are recognised. Personally I'd like to see them tightened up a notch or 2.

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I agree that survivor status should be quite a bit tighter than those requirements.

153 out of 400.. that means only 38.5% original is considered survivor?! How's my math?

[Survivor 69/Z28]

I am a proud owner of a unrestored 69 Z28 Survivor that has been "very well maintained" over its life. Meaning if it needed a bracket painted then it got painted. If something looked old and ratty it got replaced or fixed to look new. If something was dirty on the engine it always got cleaned. The guy that owned this car for 37 years was very meticulous. I praise him for how he maintained the car over all of these years as I would have done the exact same thing.

But on the flip side. I really hate when someone is trying to sell a survivor and they leave dirt and grease all over the engine bay and everything else for that matter. He will then list as untouched etc...He will not even wash the engine bay because the extra dirt and grime will add more to the appeal of it being a survivor. LOL!
Oh, and of course he will leave a dirty old air cleaner on it so that it looks even more original. Just a sore spot with me….
I love these Survivor cars!!!

[ANDY M]

My car is kind of a survivor, or as Hemmings would say, "refurbished". It was sort of restored back in the 80s, repainted from LeMans blue to black, and the M40 was replaced by a Muncie. Some of it is still original, like the headliner and other bits of the interior, but the dirt is new. Since I like it the way it is, I have a little sign explaining that it's incorrect, incomplete and unrepentant.
Get over it. It's a driver, and I like it that way.

[66 L78 ragtop]

Just visit Chris P and Joe D's garage and you will quickly learn the standard for the definition of "survivor"

[MultiMopars]

It will always be a matter of individual OPINION until there is a universal hobby recognized definition. Good luck with that. The only thing you can do is make a comparision with a given car with a given clubs criteria for a survivor class if they have one. Otherwise the whole thing is a never ending debate based on what two or more people THINK.

[SBR]

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Just visit Chris P and Joe D's garage and you will quickly learn the standard for the definition of "survivor"

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Orlando, you are right about that. I love a great restored car but after seeing the cars that Chris and Joe has, there is something extra special about a car that survivied that era intact and unmolested.

[66 L78 ragtop]

If you continually replace and repaint every part on a car to maintain that "new look," before you know it you have a car that is closer to restored than survivor...the patina is gone...IMHO. The untouched appearance would be non-existent for obvious reasons...as the car would have been touched many times to replace and repaint every worn part...


Would much prefer a car with some wear and tear under the hood. Faded decals, paint and finishes are all testament to the years that it has survived. A fresh finish on an apparent survivor is the eye sore in my opinion.

The more fresh finishes, the more replaced parts, the more molested the car appears and the more it blends in with the sea of restored cars that you see at every car show...just my opinion

[Big Block Bill]

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I have been a Survivor Judge at Bloomington Gold almost since its inception. Their guidlines are that the majority (over 50%) of at least 3 of the 4 catagories (exterior, interior, chassis, engine compartment) must remain preserved intact, unrestored, and unaltered. And that the majority of the finishes and condition of at least 3 of those 4 sections be good enough to be used as a model for an authentic restoration. Yes, that means that a car with a replacement engine can still be a "Survivor". Wether you agree with these guidelines or not, they are the only ones that are recognised. Personally I'd like to see them tightened up a notch or 2.

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I think that is what Bloomington Gold did by starting the Benchmark award. My 1967 Lynndale Blue roadster went Survivor & Gold along with Tim Mckeon's 1968 blue roadster, and Herm Rosemann's 1967 Yellow 396 coupe in 1990.

When David Burroughs and his staff saw that a car could do both at the same time, they created that award for the sole purpose of honoring an un-restored car doing 95% or better in a restored class.

I remember after we were given the awards at the 1991 show, Bloomington Gold paid a team of professional photographers to take pictures of the cars. I think they took 125 pictures of my car, and gave me copies of every one. The purpose was to rewrite the rules on what was deemed as assembled by the factory. I remember they took 25 pictures of just the door jambs, weather striping and glue alone.

In 1993 they invited all of the Benchmark cars (14 I believe, 10 showed up) back to the show for a photo shoot to produce a Benchmark calender. I still have the framed photo they gave each owner. The calender was never printed.

Bill Pankiw