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I just don't get it...respect?

There will always be some idiot who thinks they can "improve" a masterpiece. For the Sherlock Holmes fans out there have you ever seen a film of "Hound of the Baskervilles" that followed Doyle's text?

I see that the car sold for 120,000 +. If it was a real Darrin, hopefully the guy BH mentioned took pity on it.

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No, it didn't sell. 'Reserve not met'.

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I doubt if he'd touch that one with a 10-foot pole.

Just a note for all of the armchair "experts" out there:

I have seen this car in-person and yes, it is a real 1940 Darrin Super 8 Convertible Victoria. The owner is a multiple nationally award-winning customizer who took a derelict hulk and brought it back to life. There was no engine or interior left when the car was found.

It has been seen in dozens of shows around the country and has always taken "Best of Show", "Best In Class" or "People's Choice" in every showing. The car remains true to Darrin's original design and lines. The only modification to the body was lowering the chassis 4" for a lower profile. The car was expertly done at a cost exceeding $250,000. This is not a "kit car" cobbled together in someone's garage. It is a real work of art. But like all art, some love it and some hate it.

Regardless, the car exposes the Packard name and styling to a new generation, who will ultimately be the next generation of Packard owners - for this car - and maybe even yours.

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The same can be said of Pamela Anderson's plastic surgery. Before the collagen suckers and inflato boobs she was very attractive. Now she looks like one of Alvin Tofler's worst nightmares.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I don't understand your comment, Tim. The lines of the car have not been altered. No "inflato boobs." The body is exactly as Darrin designed it.

Hi

Well, take heart, most of the hard work has been already done to restore the car. Now, the next owner can reverse the damage by returning it to it's factory condition.

Darrins have very extroverted styling to start with, but this 'rodification' just pushes that over the knob a bit too far, from lustily appealing to cheap floozy!

Just my uninformed opinion, no need to get one's knickers in twist, as my mother used to say!

Steve

For me I think people use the term Restoration in the wrong sense. This car is not a Restoration as that implies that its was "Restored" to like original condition. This is purely a custom street rod at this point. Whether some one could actual "Restore" it is another question.

After finishing The Duchess I started working on my son's 61 Jaguar MK2 sedan and signed up for a forum on Jaguars similar to packardinfo.

I guess most people found the 3.8 L6 engine tempermental, difficult, short on power, whatever. Replacing the engine with a more powerful Detroit engine is commonplace. It used to be Chevy V-8s. Now it's aluminum GM Ls.
I personally love the sound of the original engine, so distinctive and unique. You've heard them warm up at shows on the way to the winner's circle I'm sure. This is a 3.8 sedan, original engine, I like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CONzPuZZWVs

But the modification doesn't stop there. I made a comment or two on the Jaguar section explicitly for sedans, respectful, but just saying that "resto-moding" is not "restoring." They are two different visions. Unfortunately, restomoders categorize most restored cars as not driven, that is, trailered everywhere and almost never driven on the open road, whereas restomoding makes the car drivable, safer, faster, reliable.

They have their point. It's just different. It leads to modifying frames and fenders to accommodate wider tires, for instance. They also defend making subjective modifications to beautify the design saying it makes it more unique, lovable, closer to what their heart desires. Well and good, if that's your vision. In my comments I suggested that, as we have here, there should be a separate section on the site for modifications for safety, design, engine exchange, lowering, raking, chopping or anything else. As mentioned, John Slaughter is respected for what he does and people like it. It's just a different objective.

I personally like the feel of powerless steering and brakes. And I believe that there is context, for example for me, a cultural context of 1940 where the whole of the design, the original colors of exteriors and interiors, lines, height, spring supported upholstery etc all contribute to an authentic experience of that time, a connection to the pre-war years that a Viper engine, power steering, power brakes and foam rubber upholstery can't deliver, except sort of, from a distance. It's like the original VW and the new ones. Similar in shape and simplicity, but a different context.

My comments were deleted from the thread as divisive, that's how accepted restomoding is in the Jaguar world. Since Jaguar is still alive, there is a bit more acceptance for replacing 60-year-old Jaguar parts with their modern Jaguar equivalent, branded things like FM radios, mirrors, seats. But again it's a change in context.

The recommendation from the site master, after removing my comments, was to simply avoid threads that documented and advocated cutting up cars to restomod them. And so I do. But I must say this, there is much more interest in terms of hits to engine exchange and restormod blogs than straight all-original restoration.

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