With every barn find, the same question arises for me as I see all that beauty: what is the consideration between restoring it or leaving the car in its current state? It starts, of course, with the question of whether you want to be able to drive it again or not; in that case, you will at least have to patch up the mechanics or start thinking towards (partial) restoration. And restoring, naturally, costs money.
I am of the opinion that every found classic car should be restored and not disappear into a museum like some kind of steel mummy, to languish there beautifully illuminated with a sign in front of it. Sometimes found classic cars are placed in a museum or collection where the goal is not at all to ever drive them again. The Bugatti from Lake Maggiore, for example, has been enduring that sad fate for quite some time now. Every car is built to be driven, and that is therefore what should be done with it. That doesn't have to be a perfect finish with a new coat of paint and a gleaming engine block, but it does need to be driven. This is also the way Jay Leno handles his entire collection: every car is still driven. Surely there is nothing more beautiful than that?
Let's take a case like the recently found Maserati A6G 2000 Gran Sport Berlinetta from the Baillon collection from France that will be auctioned soon. On the one hand, there is much to be said for restoring these types of examples to like-new condition, preferably using as many original parts as possible. On the other hand, there is a certain extra nostalgic appeal to addressing only what is necessary, rather than replacing everything and repainting and reupholstering. Furthermore, there is the impact on the value. It is not necessarily the case that the value of a classic car increases through restoration. When a classic car is purchased as an investment, this will certainly be carefully considered, and the decision to restore it will depend largely on this. In addition, restoring a somewhat special model can become quite expensive. So that too can influence the decision, as the added value from restoration must outweigh the costs involved.
As the public, we will simply have to accept the choice of whether or not to restore. In any case, they remain beautiful stories to read, and for me, the stories with 'happy endings' are those where the classic cars at least hit the road again. Preferably a bit close to home.
