Experts
When
it comes to Collector Cars - Do they really exist? Published 3/1/2004
The American Heritage
Dictionary describes an “Expert” as “a person with a high degree of skill in,
or knowledge of, a certain subject.” Therein lies the quandary; can any one
person really be an expert on Classic Cars?
I would not argue that Dr.
Henry Lee is an expert of forensic medicine or that Steven Hawkins is an expert
physicist - but when it comes to collector cars, to me, there seems only to be
a bunch of guys with varying degrees of “experience” in a variety of areas.
This one rebuilt a motor or two, this one’s good at bodywork, this one good at
paint and so on. Now collectively they may demonstrate ‘expert’ knowledge – but
I don’t know of an individual who can truly claim that title.
Take a car dealer, these
folks see, hear, touch, and drive perhaps hundreds of cars every year – are
they experts? I think not, as there sole objective it to make a purchase to
affect a profit – I’ll wager there are many cars they buy and sell that they
barely know at all. How about a restorer – are they experts? Clearly they know
a great deal about a car if they’ve taken it all apart and reassembled it, but
what do they know of cars they haven’t restored?
I often think about the
folks that judge cars at
The reasons why each of us
loves old cars can vary dramatically, what is important to one may be
insignificant to another. It seems inconceivable to me that with so many makes,
models, years, components and conditions, destroyed records, modifications and
subjectivity that any one person can really claim to be an expert in anything
more that one aspect of a car, or at the very most, perhaps one or two specific
models, and even then I have to ask how this knowledge was gained. Did that
individual strip the car, or restore the car, or both? And how much of the work
did they actually do themselves? Did they totally dismantle the engine
themselves or just remove it and send it to a machine shop? What about the
upholstery – did they do it themselves or farm it out… Did they strip a car
that was from
I totally disassembled an
Austin Cooper ‘S’, every nut and bolt – and apart from sending the shell out
for final paint, I did everything myself, including the engine rebuild – does
that make me expert on Mini Coopers? I don’t think so, am I knowledgeable about
them now – yes, am I experienced with that particular year/model/car?
Certainly, but I wouldn’t call myself an expert.
We had a case recently
where a client bought a 1966 Corvette; it was purported as being a 427 4-speed
car with matching numbers. Well to cut a long story short, the deal was done
and cash changed hands. Well, over the next two months our client took the car
to three different Corvette “experts”, who told him that the car wasn’t
correct; they believed it was in fact a 327 4-speed car that someone had put a
427 into and re-stamped the block. As part of the pre-purchase inspection the
client had done on the vehicle by www.AutomobileInspections.com
there was a very clear photo of the number stamped on the engine [ see photo
]. It matched the ID tag, but the experts said it looked “too perfect” to be
factory done and therefore had to be a fake. We’ll not to be argumentative, but
who is to say that it wasn’t the original block which after having had some
machine work done by a shop was re-stamped with the original number that was on
the block before they shaved it off?
Do you see my point and
does that REALLY make this car worth SO much less?, I have enclosed the engine
number photo so you can be the judge – if any of you have ever tried to
re-stamp a block you know you really only get one chance to get it right – so
if this IS a fake – whoever did it may well be an “expert” number-stamper!
In my opinion there are no
"legitimate experts". What there is, are folks who have spent a lot
of time around cars and have become knowledgeable about one or more aspects of
a car i.e. paint, interior, specifications or history etc. often times this
knowledge is limited to one make, year and even a particular model.
If you are going to buy a
1965 GTO and you know of a friend or restorer who has just got through doing a
nut and bolt restoration on one, I’d say it would be great to bring them along
when you go to look at a 1965 GTO that you are interested in buying- there will
likely be several similarities between their car and the one you are considering
buying and they could likely point out some areas on your prospective car that
they had on theirs – but judge your car on it’s own merit.
I just wish we could do
away with the term “expert” when we talk collector cars – and use instead the
word “experienced” or “knowledgeable” these are words I can live with, because
we are all experienced to greater or lesser degree. The dictionary reads;
Experienced
- Skilled as a result of observation, use or practice.
Knowledge – The state or
fact of knowing. Familiarity, awareness or understanding gained through
experience or study. The sum or range of what has been perceived discovered or
learned.
Knowledgeable – Possessing
or showing knowledge.
I wrote about this because
folks who don’t have the knowledge themselves often rely on others who present
themselves as “experts” to guide them on their purchases. I can’t tell you how
many times someone bought a car only to get it home, bring it in front of the
local “expert” who proceeds to tear the car apart, then they get buyer’s
remorse and forget what owning a classic is REALLY all about – FUN!
Jeff Webster