We are currently in the period of time where the eighties and nineties era automobile restorations are emerging from long slumbers and being advertised as original.  This is most likely not being done as a subterfuge.  Rather, a lot of these restorations were very well done using original materials.  It is easy to think that the hidden gem of an automobile you have stumbled upon is still in factory-fresh condition.  So how do you decide if the car is a restoration or a true original?  That is the question for this beautiful 1937 Plymouth coupe for sale on eBay in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Advertised as original and as a survivor car fresh out of 25 years of storage, could this be a perfectly preserved original?  With bidding currently at $25,651, it would seem that a lot of folks think this is the real deal.  Is this the real deal or a finely aged re-do?

The eighties and nineties were a golden age for automobile restorations.  Solid cars were still out there waiting to be found, new old stock parts were available if you knew where to look or who to call, and the economy was such that several folks could indulge in the old car hobby.  Show fields at Hershey, Carlisle, and other gatherings were inundated with fresh restorations being judged by actual experts using a points system to determine just how close to the factory product the restorer was able to get.  The systems used by the AACA, Early Ford V-8 Club of America, and other organizations were no joke.  If you used a reproduction part, then it had darn well better be a perfect reproduction.  If you wanted a legitimate award from one of these clubs, then you had to lay out a fair amount of cash and a plethora of elbow grease.

As time has marched on and the generations that coveted these cars have passed into old age or the afterlife, a whole lot of these cars have been left behind in garages across America.  Most of them have seen few miles since they were restored.  Therefore, when heirs open grandpa or Grandma’s garage door opens for the first time in years, the car staring back looks old.  Unless that storage was perfect, a certain patina has made its mark on the finish and upholstery.  It is obviously an old car to the uninitiated.  It even smells old and is dusty.  Therefore, this must be a long-hidden gem straight out of a time capsule worth a lot of money.

The car in this Facebook ad could be one of those misidentified older restorations.  As a whole, the car does look as if it just rolled off the showroom floor.  The paint shows no obvious imperfections such as the all too typical cracking that older paint jobs nearly always exhibit.  Inside, the mohair upholstery is free from rips, tears, and ever-present moth damage.  There must have been something chocolate wonderfall level delicious in that type of material that moths just craved.  Also, the woodgraining is in pristine shape.  Even the woodgraining on the door sill where you would lay your arm is in perfect shape.  The pristine odometer tells us that 45,244 miles have passed in the 86 years since this car was originally sold.

A look from the other side reveals more of the shame.  From the door jams to the steering wheel, the interior is almost perfect.  The only faux pas is the decision to use late-model floor mats in the car.  A closer look reveals that the car is equipped with a heater.  Believe it or not, a heater was an option for some cars up into the sixties.  We can also see that there is a crank in the dashboard to facilitate opening the bottom of the windshield to allow for more ventilation.  For those who haven’t experienced a car built before air conditioning, vent windows, cowl vents, roll-down windows, and crank-out windshields provided all the climate control you were going to get.  The folks back in the day were tough compared to us because they had to be.

A look under the hood reveals a pristine inline six-cylinder engine resplendent in MOPAR silver paint.  The decal is present for the oil filter, as is the metal identification plate on the generator.  What we can see of the cowl points to this being the original paint.  There is fading and what appears to be a bit of chipping.  Older cloth wire can be seen attached to the generator and the oil bath air cleaner is still doing a poor job of filtering the outside air from contaminants.

I think the issue here is that we desperately need some sort of organized rulebook and guide for advertising collectible vehicles.  The seller’s use of the words “original” and “survivor” to describe this car can be appropriate in the right context.  It is just that some people see an original car as one that hasn’t been restored or modified in any way.  Some folks also see a survivor car as one that has been given nothing more than regular maintenance and has had no major parts or finishes replaced.  Chances are that this car is somewhere between a full restoration with some age on it and a car that has been pretty much untouched.

As always, it is up to the seller to let us know as much information as possible.  With the bidding already above market value on this coupe, it will be interesting to see what it sells for and if it gets relisted soon.  It is a beautiful car that deserves a good home.  I just hope the buyer gets what they are hoping for.

Do you think this beautiful Plymouth is an “original survivor?”  Let us know your thoughts in the comments.