<VV> Stock & Improved

[Bill Hubbell]

Frank (and all the rest of you who don't get it)

The problem is that CORSA Concours classification now calls ALL cars that are NOT in one of the Stock Classes "improved".  Aside from the fact that "improved", like "beauty", is somewhat of a subjective term, there is the mixed message being sent to the person who is TRYING to restore a car to Stock.  If such a person shows up with his car and he happens to fall short of making the Stock class because of an incorrect/aftermarket part, etc., then he is told his car is put in the "improved" class.  So in this sense we tell him that his shortcomings are an "improvement"; rather a mixed message, I think, especially coming from a car club that defines the Stock Standard.

Likewise, if you show up for Concours with a $20,00 restoration pure Factory Stock Corvair (yes, they do cost that much or more), how are you going to feel when they tell you the $500 beater car is "improved"?

I get that most modifications are designed to improve the experience of owning and driving our Corvairs,and I also get that MOST Corvair owners are never going to go through the expense and trouble of maintaining or restoring a Stock Corvair.  Still, it seems to me, this changing of the word from "modified" to "improved" only serves to deepen the divide between the major group and the few who DO try the Stock route.

Bill Hubbell
 

On Sep 19, 2010, at 2:42 AM, Frank Ness <aircoolvair at yahoo.com> wrote:

> --- On Sun, 9/19/10, Mark Corbin <airvair at earthlink.net> wrote:
> <snip>
> whereas by definition "improved" IMPLIES that the change was made  because the former was INFERIOR. 
> 
> Mark,
> 
> In what way does Improved imply that the former was INFERIOR? Good, Better, Best. It isn't crappy then best. Is the addition of seatbelts an improvement? Does that mean that any car without them is inferior? Heck the only reason we didn't have seatbelts sooner was the automotive industry didn't want the public to think that cars were unsafe. 
> 
> Stock, modified, improved, early, late, forward control, two door, four door, Ultra Van, heck I like them all. 
>