Took the buggy out to the British Cars at Bristol (Colt State Park, Bristol RI) today for the public to oggle at. Amazing what patina and nostalgia will do...'I wanted one of those when I was in HS..." ..."I had one of those in college..."...etc.
Surprisingly, with badly checked paint, some parts rubbed away by POs, oil leaks on the block from the on-its-way-out head gasket, and unbalanced wheels which limited my progress to the show to <55 MPH...Damn...got 1st in Class against 3 Elises and an Evora.
Wow. And to think I slaved over my S2 over the course of 2 years to get the same award. Hint: leave the patina. The car earned every chip, scratch, checked paint surface in the 50+ years since it was released from the factory. I'm just the caretaker...get the mechanicals in top nick...and let the body speak for itself...as someone mentioned, "it's only original once..."