Author: Paul Cowland
Photography: Matt Howell and Paul Cowland
Beautifully restored, 100 point concours cars are a wonderful thing to behold, reckons Cowland, but you’ll simply never use them…
The restoration of motor cars has been very kind to me over the years. It’s been a hobby that I’ve loved, it’s been a wonderful business both on and off screen, and it’s introduced me to some fabulous people who have become close friends. But can I let you into a secret? Restoring cars can be both a blessing AND a curse…
On the surface, we’d all like to drive around in the best version of whichever classic that we’re in. If we could just sort that little bit of paintwork out, order those new trims and maybe get the interior sorted, it would certainly look a lot nicer, no? And then, when we’ve really got that pride of ownership going on, we’d use it so much more, surely?
In my experience, that’s not what happens at all.
Anyone who has been lucky enough to own a brand new car will know what I mean. For the first few weeks that you own it, it is literally pristine. Not a chip, dent or scratch marks its virginal flanks. But then one day, something truly awful happens. It might be an errant stone flicked up from the lorry in front, the return from parking your trolley to see that inaugural dent, or the unalloyed pain that comes from scraping your, erm, alloys. These are all upsetting enough at the best of times. But on a brand new car? Even more so…
And this pain becomes doubly worse when we’re the ones that have overseen, or perhaps even carried out, the work that has returned our once careworn classic to its now showroom fresh status – with the bills to match. We sat there for hours deliberating on the paint colour, waited our turn for the painter of choice, watched the paint skilfully applied through a series of visits or emails and then lovingly applied polish to its flawless surface upon its return. To have been through a journey like that to then find that a short-sighted pensioner or inexperienced learner has swapped paint on our freshly painted coachwork is tantamount to a murder attempt on their part. Well, it can feel like that sometimes…
I’ve learned this the hard way. Far too often, I’ve been the one restoring cars to a standard, that in some cases, they wouldn’t have even enjoyed when new. Painstakingly powder coating and zinc passivating parts that would have been left unadorned from the factory. Polishing that which was once matt and using higher quality materials and solutions than the designers or accountants could have dreamed of. What I’m left with is a thing of beauty, but also something of a conundrum. Should I use it ALL the time and risk undoing my hard work, and lose the potential investment value I may have added? Or tuck it away for high days and holidays and keep it like a show queen?
I’m ashamed to say that I’ve often been guilty of the latter… And where’s the fun in that? Will I sit there in my retirement home, rocking gently in my chair, reminiscing about the time I once added £1000 to the value of my E38 by not using it? I very much doubt it. Chances are, I’ll be kicking myself. Well, as much as my inevitable lack of joint mobility will allow.
Recently though, I’ve been trying to atone for my sins. The last few cars I’ve been ‘restoring’ I’ve kept things strictly mechanical, with a light smattering of aesthetic improvement. If it’s motive and contributes to the drive, it’s fair game. Servicing, better brakes, uprated tyres, new bushes, a fresh exhaust. It’s all going on. But as for the slight parking dents that I have inherited, the cauliflowers of rust around the window and the mismatched bumper paint? They can all wait. And possibly, indefinitely.
Now, instead of cars that I’m afraid to use for fear of damage, I’m creating useable, driveable cars that I simply can’t keep myself out of. Majoring on the mechanicals means that they’re reliable and a true joy to drive, whereas the once show-stopping horror that ensued after returning to find a small car park dent now elicits just a very sight annoyance. When you have three in that panel already, then what does another one matter, really?
Having a couple of ‘beaters’ on the fleet has transformed my enjoyment of – and mileage in – classic cars. It’s also very interesting see just how well behaved classic cars are when they’re being used with unerring regularity, too. My battered old Jaguar XJ8 is running like a Swiss watch at the moment, unlike its show-quality brother, which may look a little smarter, but doesn’t quite have the perfect manners of its hack-about twin. Regular exercise isn’t just good for ageing humans, it turns out.
So embrace that patina, accept that stone chip and laugh off that scratch. You may not win any trophies at your next Show ‘n’ Shine. But by arriving everywhere in a cool, old car, you’ll be winning at life. And that’s a much greater accolade, my friends.
Have you ever regretted making a classic too perfect? Or are you proudly rocking a ‘beater’ with stories in every scratch? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
Read more from Paul Cowland
Why Well-Modded Cars Are A Great Classic Buy
Paul Cowland’s Top 10 Tips for Buying a Classic Car
Horses for Courses? Why Slow Old Cars are Just Better
