I have been reading the suggestions about easing the concours
restrictions
and classifications at Tiger events with interest. Let me say up-front,
that if you are
actually judging for originality, any changes will just not fly with the
concours judges I have come across. This comes from personal
experience, gained from the
totally anal-retentive judging and awarding found in the Big Healey
ranks.
There will always be someone who claims his car is "more stock" than
yours,
and therefore deserves to win. Sometimes it comes down to a screw or
rivet
as the deciding factor. Allowing any deviations from what the factory
had
installed, whether for safety or practical reasons, is considered a
"detriment" to the marque as far as the trailer queen crowd is
concerned.
Perhaps those best able to judge Tigers would allow more latitude, and
hence
do not agree. It certainly is a hot debate in most collector circles. I
ran
across a Healey 100-4 recently that showed considerable patina,
including
faded paint, a rusted bonnet and worn-through seats. I then found out
that
the car had actually been fully restored to a 98-point level, sold, and
the
new owner paid dearly to make it look unrestored! The owner evidently
felt
that the "more-original" car would bring home more trophies in the
new/old
condition.
So what is truly original? Our Tigers (and many others) tend to blend
the
changes year-to-year, series-to-series. The assembly line would only
use new
Part X when they used up all of Part Y, witness the VIN tag rivet
discussions. I remember when Classic Bike magazine (Brit bikes are
another
sickness I carry) found a Matchless G80 still in a crate, cleaned it
up, and
entered it in their largest English Concours event. It was rubbed by
many
judges as not being original, a fake even, and did not register a score
until the magazine let the cat out of the bag. Many red faces appeared,
and
a shakeup of the entire classic motorcycle community resulted. The
point is
that judging is subjective, two bone stock Tigers, made at opposite
ends of
the Series can have many small differences, but they are both original
and
both deserve to be judged with that consideration. Throw in a few LAT
options, and who is to say which one is more original?
What's the point to all this jabber? Well, IMHO, old cars are either
meant to be
driven and enjoyed, or they should be restored for static displayed.
You cannot, however,
assume that even a slightly modified car is original and I would not
enter it into a show as
such. I personally would not want to drive a stock, original Tiger on
the
street, but I still want to keep the car correct within a reasonable
limit. A little patina here, a few
upgrades there, and you have a very enjoyable driver.
Show cars have their place, but there is a definitive line between them
and
an enthusiast's driver. The recent sale of the original Tiger Mk II for
$40K
is a great treasure, but as soon as you start the up-grades, the value
(and originality) will
plummet. If I was ever to get back into the concours rat's nest, I
think I
would find some 100-point car small enough to tow behind the Tiger!
Mark Rense
B382000991
PS I'm stuck in Budapest on a job assignment, hence the long diatribe. I
miss the Tiger, you can only stare at so many Ladas and Trabonts......
I have been reading the suggestions about easing the concours restrictions
and classifications with interest. Let me say up-front, that if you are
actually judging for originality, any changes will just not fly with
concours judges. This comes from personal experience, gained from the
totally anal-retentive judging and awarding found in the Big Healey ranks.
There will always be someone who claims his car is "more stock" than yours,
and therefore deserves to win. Sometimes it comes down to a screw or rivet
as the deciding factor. Allowing any deviations from what the factory had
installed, whether for safety or practical reasons, is considered a
"detriment" to the marque as far as the trailer queen crowd is concerned.
Perhaps those best able to judge Tigers would allow more latitude, and hence
do not agree. It certainly is a hot debate in most collector circles. I ran
across a Healy 100-4 recently that showed considerable patina, including
faded paint, a rusted bonnet and worn-through seats. I then found out that
the car had actually been fully restored to a 98-point level, sold, and the
new owner paid dearly to make it look unrestored! The owner evidently felt
that the "more-original" car would bring home more trophies in the new/old
condition.
So what is truly original? Our Tigers (and many others) tend to blend the
changes year-to-year, series-to-series. The assembly line would only use new
Part X when they used up all of Part Y, witness the VIN tag rivet
discussions. I remember when Classic Bike magazine (Brit bikes are another
sickness I carry) found a Matchless G80 still in a crate, cleaned it up, and
entered it in their largest English Concours event. It was rubbed by many
judges as not being original, a fake even, and did not register a score
until the magazine let the cat out of the bag. Many red faces appeared, and
a shakeup of the entire classic motorcycle community resulted. The point is
that judging is subjective, two bone stock Tigers, made at opposite ends of
the Series can have many small differences, but they are both original and
both deserve to be judged with that consideration. Throw in a few LAT
options, and who is to say which one is more original?
What's the point to all this jabber? Well, IMHO, old cars are meant to be
driven and enjoyed, not statically displayed. A little patina here, a few
upgrades there, and you have a very enjoyable driver. You cannot, however,
assume that the car is original and I would not enter it into a show as
such. I personally would not want to drive a stock, original Tiger on the
street, but I still want to keep the car correct within a reasonable limit.
Show cars have their place, but there is a definitive line between them and
an enthusiast's driver. The recent sale of the original Tiger Mk II for $40K
is a great treasure, but as soon as you start the up-grades, the value will
plummet. If I was ever to get back into the concours rat's nest, I think I
would find some 100-point car small enough to tow behind the Tiger!
Mark Rense
B382000991
PS I'm stuck in Budapest on a job assignment, hence the long diatribe. I
miss the Tiger, you can only stare at so many Ladas and Trabonts......
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