It's Only Original Once: Original and Unrestored Classics: Unrestored Classic Cars [Illustrated] [Hardcover]

This book may be unabashedly American in focus and very niche, but it is a joy form cover to cover. Filling the cavernous gap between glitzy restorations and dilapitated calssics with trees growing throguh them, these are the cars that every enthusiast wants to see. The authentic motors featured here are for the most part awash with aptins, but others are unbelivably shiny, leaving the readre with a quandary: is it wrong to find the former more appealing? Lentino's odyessy is a personal one, and these are stories about individual classics and their owners, but the book is all the better for that. From Wayne Koffel's 1930 Oakland to mark McCourt's MGB, every tlae is heartwarming. A great read that others should replicate because there's a market for a lot more of these human books. --Classic and Sports Car, January 2009 One of those books you're surprised no-one has done before. A collection of cars that are still in factory origional, completely unrestored condition. How about the mercedes Benz 300SL that still has the registration papers attached to the steering coloum? The immaculate 1971 BMW 2002 with only 13,000 miles from new or the AMC Gremlin that was barley driven for the first year of its life and stored since 1972? The stories are as interesting as the cars themselves while the photos reveal a good deal about the sometimes poor construction methods used on these vehicles. A warning about over-restoring a car if I've ever seen one. --Classics Monthly, Feb, 2009 There's nothing like an original that's somehow survived untouched. And this book is bursting with them - each of them fabulous! --Practical Classics, January 2009 If you like your car good and origional, and the word 'patina' has a certain resonance then you'll appreciate It's Only Original Once which, as the title suggests, is a celebration of cars that have stood the test of time, as they left the factory - and have been maintained fastidiously from day one, rather than the subject of a full restoration following years of neglect. The bias is toward American cars, but there are some European cars and an few 911s thrown in, too - all of them as they left the factory, some still immaculate and some shabby, but sound. --911 & Porsche World, January, 2009 Barn finds are always exciting, but uncovering something as tremendous as an origional, untouched car that has been locked away since its heyday is something of a rarity that very few people will have the chance to experience. this is a collection of rare and immensly valuable finds that are untouched by time or restorers. Capturing the period they were built in, these cars still wear their original parts, paint, upholstry, and trim. Some cars had colorful original owners, some sat in storage for decades waiting to be discovered. Some run like the day they were purchased, others require tender loving care and daily maintenance. Although the cars are predominantly American, two Mg's get profiled in the European section; a three-page review of the 1962 MGA Deluxe that is still driven and enjoyed regularly, and a similar spread on a 1980 MGB that has been caringly protected from new --MG Enthusiast, Feb, 2009 This book focuses on unrestored classics (nearly all post-war) in the USA, telling their stories, the reasons why their owners cherish them, and the steps they take to preserve that all-important originality --Octane, Feb 2009--;It s a good book to read too, with plenty of good tales behind the cars and how they came to be preserved Classic American They ll (the featured cars will) fill up 92 pages with premium qualify photography both overall and detail, an unknown in to too many high quality books. Hemmings Classic Car. Lentinello makes a case for preservation rather than restoration by showcasing dozens of individual cars and their stories. --911 & Porsche World, January, 2009

Uncovering a great find is always excisting: however, fiding a car that has been untouched and that's still in extraordinary condition is incredibly rare. This book provides a glimpse at what other lucky ownwrs have happened across. Although there's a very clear American agenda, the Chevys and Oldsmobiles are balanced out by by some really interesting examples of the Mercedes-Benz 22oD, the Volvo 144E and even a mini Countryman to name but a few. The author, richard Lentiinello, profiles dozens of cars and the stories of the pwners behind apparently some of the most impressive unrestored classics in exsistence. --Classic Car Weekly, October, 2009

If you like your car good and origional, and the word 'patina' has a certain resonance then you'll appreciate It's Only Original Once which, as the title suggests, is a celebration of cars that have stood the test of time, as they left the factory - and have been maintained fastidiously from day one, rather than the subject of a full restoration following years of neglect. The bias is toward American cars, but there are some European cars and an few 911s thrown in, too - all of them as they left the factory, some still immaculate and some shabby, but sound. --911 & Porsche World, January, 2009

Collector cars with their original parts, paint, upholstery, trim intact are the rarest of all collector cars, a vanishing breed and immensely valuable! These are the survivors that collectors call 'time capsule cars', ones that capture the period they were built in and still retain their originality. Pictured and profiled in all their glory, survivor cars are the highlights of the car collector world, the stars of any prestigious car auction. From a 1908 Mora, a 1910 Sears to later favorites like the BMW 2002, Datsun Z cars they are shown here with all their original features, fittings, paintwork, upholstery, engines, in shot after loving shot bound to appeal to any car lover.