Quote: I'm sure the judging has evolved quite a bit since 2008...
It is not the "judging" that has evolved, it is the Cars! A factory OE vehicle IS what it IS. That aspect has never changed! As a hobby we have been chasing the ability to to accomplish a restoration that truly represents what rolled out of the Factory 40+ years ago. I guarantee that the Challenger and the Valiant would still have the same level of factory correctness 20 years from now if they were Judged again. Their correctness will not become obsolete with respect to what they represent! One of my goals was to restore a car where no one could ever say, "Remember how we thought the that Challenger and Valiant was a correct OE restoration? Look at how much better these OE cars are NOW!" The History of how these cars were built will never change. It is not an infinite or open ended quest. They were manufactured with a particular "look" and a restorer either replicates that "look" or they don't! I personally wanted those two cars to be representative of a Factory correct vehicle no matter when they were scrutinized or Judged. History never changes! A person's understanding or awareness of it (history) is the weak link as it relates to the reality of things. "Correct" will still be correct 50 years from now.
Good post; as was said earlier, the very best restoration would be one that would be impossible to tell apart from a zero mile (OK, 6 miles or whatever they had when they were typically unloaded off the truck!)untouched original. The kind of car that if you claimed it had never been touched, just stored in a dark dehumidified room for 40 years would seem plausible.
Anyhow, props where props are due. Sucks about the judging and lack of specific detail on the results. Oh well, doesn't take away from the accomplishment but too bad all the same.
Sucks about the judging and lack of specific detail on the results. Oh well, doesn't take away from the accomplishment but too bad all the same. 
