[Jim Maxwell]

Anthony, I would certainly prefer an unrestored car to a completely re-done car, but that's just me. Lots of people can't understand why I have left the original severely cracked pearl white paint on CSX 3288. (by the way, CSX 3288 is NOT restored).
We did restore CSX 2149 because it had been sitting in a barn for 20 years on a dirt floor and had superficial rust on every steel part, and had been painted the worst possible color for a red interior, a cross between copper and bronze, probably by Earl Schieb. They didn't even remove the side emblems or the headlight rims when it was painted. This actually was fortunate, because it gave us a perfect original paint spot to match the Wimbledon White.
Racoons had eaten holes in the seats and lived in the footwells, so some restoration was absolutely necessary. However, the car had less than 30K miles, and was in excellent mechanical condition. So, Tom and I only do the minimum needed to get the car working and presentable and maintain the patina that makes the cars look like the originals that they are.
I will eventually restore CSX 2401, but only because it had been restored once before I bought it in 1987, and it had also been repaired after an accident with what I suspect was a guardrail in the early 70's. I just received photos of the car after it was wrecked and during the repairs in 1971, if I recall correctly ( I don't have the documents handy right now.) Once restored, I don't think another restoration has any effe ct on the value except to improve it. However, once an original is restored for the first time, it's never quite the same to me.
I looked for years for an unrestored "427", passing on many restored really nice cars because I just like antiques and the patina they have, as well as the history that I don't feel with a restored car to the same degree.