AUTOMOTIVE Related Metalwork by DWIGHT H. BENNETT

The First Ruf Emblem

RUF REAR DECK EMBLEM: I made the first Ruf emblems, as seen on the rear deck of this Porsche.

When Louis Ruf sent his high performance ‘remanufactured’ Porsches to the U.S. automotive press for road testing with no

Ruf emblems, the photographers focused their cameras on the Porsche badges for their articles. Ruf cars needed Ruf

emblems to differentiate them from ‘pedestrian’ Porsches.

In 1985, I made the first twenty-five rear deck RUF emblems retroactively for most of the first Rufs already delivered to the

U.S. I designed the flat black powder coated aluminum castings to fit the contour of the 911’s rear deck (as seen here) while

using the same two holes and nuts that the stock ‘turbo’ script used, thus eliminating a trip to the body shop.

See the custom Ruf hubcaps I made in the next image.

1940 DeSoto Handles

1940 DeSOTO DOOR HANDLES: My customer’s ‘worn out’ left-side handle that was just returned from the plater, above.

Luckily he later found another set of pitted handles, the left-side handle shown below, to replace his ruined originals.

A gentleman had a set of pitted pot metal handles that he sent to a generic plating company to have restored, top. He thought

the pits would be thoughtfully removed and the handles polished and chromed to look like new. Surprise!!

His handles were returned with partially dissolved hubs and a lot of the surface details removed by over polishing, and yet

many pits remained. He described his handles' appearance as ‘newly-chromed, worn-out handles!’

Over the next two years, he found another pitted set ‘exactly’ like his originals... almost, bottom. The quarter-inch square shaft

axis holes (on the back, not visible here) were rotated 45º different than his original set, meaning the handles would not mount

on the doors in their original orientation. Additionally, the levers had two insert mounting holes that he did not want.

So he had replacement handles that were ‘not correct’ for his car, and he needed somebody other than his ‘generic plating

company’ to restore them and plate them (see next image).

1940 DeSoto Handles

1940 DeSOTO DOOR HANDLES: My plated bronze reproduction left-side handle with all the details restored, above; and with

the inset painted just like his original, below.

These are two of my reproduction left door handles. Starting with my client's second set of 'aged' handles (see the previous

image) my remedy for solving all four of his problems was to mold the handles as-found, pits and all. I would eventually cast

them in bronze through lost-wax casting F.Y.I: [Click Here] For a brief explanation about the Lost-Wax Casting Process, but

while I had these handles in wax form, I would (a) fill all the cavities that were below the surface, (b) ‘behead’ any convexities

that were above the surface, (c) rotate the ¼”

Square-shaft holes 45º like his original set, and (d) fill the two insert holes.

These are my reproduction handles. The bottom handle has its inset painted to match the original color on his original

handles. I reassured him that by casting these in bronze, they would never pit again.

Rolls' Saoutchik Handles

ROLLS-ROYCE SAOUTCHIK COACH PULLS: The two mangled original coach pulls and my 3-D ‘drawing’ on a wax model,

middle.

I was asked to restore these two original exterior coach pulls for the 1947 Rolls-Royce Saoutchik Sedanca Coupé

#WTA-45. This first picture shows how distorted these coach pulls had become through their inadequate lightweight, hollow

construction coupled with pulling open and pushing closed this car’s heavy doors. These coach pulls were over-polished and

replated from a post-factory source. Additionally, they were cracked and kinked from twisting, had denting, were bent, had

punctures, and were outright broken. The breaks were then brazed back together (i.e. using bronze), with the excess bronze

being filed off with a course, flat-bastard wood file (see the right side of the left handle).

These coach pulls were totally unsalvageable. Their only value was for posterity. I made a 3-D wax model (seen here

between the handles) on which I could draw what I determined to be the original design on the different surface areas.

My advice was to cast solid reproductions that would be able to withstand the inadvertent destruction the originals could not.

Please view the next two images for information on how these handles would be reproduced.

Saoutchik Coach Pull Ring

ROLLS-ROYCE SAOUTCHIK COACH PULLS: This is an enlargement of the original C-ring's repeating leaf and berry design.

Please view the previous image for backgrounding on the above image.

This second picture shows a five cm length of the center bottom section of the C-ring’s hollow-formed brass tube. You can

see the detail of one of the four embossed, repeating leaf and berry tapered line designs (and below that, another in profile)

that runs the length of each tapered C-ring tube. These line designs are widest at the center bottom and become narrowest at

the junction with the bale.

The black arrow denotes the center of the C-ring; where the design changes from a left to right mirror image. The red marks

were to show each segment's center so I could determine the rate at which each segment decreased in length.

Please continue to the next image.

Saoutchik Coach Pull Bale

ROLLS-ROYCE SAOUTCHIK COACH PULLS: The best side of the better original bale, left; next to my unfinished wax

reproduction with the missing acanthus leaf motif restored, right.

Please view the previous two images for backgrounding on the above images.

I started work on the bale portion of the coach pulls before working on the C-rings.

On the left, is a close-up view of the hollow bale with the most intact sample of the original acanthus leaf motif.

On the right, is wax model of the same section of the bale. This unfinished wax model demonstrates the level of my

commitment to reproduce authentically detailed parts.

Epilogue: The car was sold right at this point of the restoration, and all my work on these coach pulls and other hardware

ceased.

Bentley Detailing Exercise

BENTLEY BACK-LEANING B, HOOD ORNAMENT: A feather detailing exercise, or over-restoration?

I just got to thinking one day: Did the feathers on all Bentley hood ornaments (all that I’ve ever seen) have that ‘worn out’

appearance when they were new, or was that the result of repeated polishings/platings through the years, or both? On the

other hand, this ‘original’ back-leaning B hood ornament (middle) certainly no longer has the square edges and corners that it

once had had in its past. The top is a wax copy of this original, on which I bracketed in red where the B’s sharp edges had

been rounded from over polishing. I then took another wax model, and went about building up those discrepancies and

arbitrarily carving the back-leaning B’s feathers to full detail, and had it cast. This casting is the unfinished raw casting with its

casting sprue still attached, bottom.

Porsche 911-R Emblem

PORSCHE ‘911-R’ BADGE: A factory 911-E badge above the ‘911-R’ badge that I fabricated using Porsche's typography,

below.

In addition to the well-known Porsche 911-T, 911-E and 911-S models of 1968-9, there was also a 911-R model used for

racing and rallying only. I don't know whether Porsche ever made ‘911-R’ badges, but had they, it would probably have looked

like this one that uses Porsche’s typography. I fabricated it for the customer of a restoration shop for which I do work

periodically.

This one was cast in bronze.

Apollo Emblems

APOLLO EMBLEMS: The original worn out emblem, left; and my reproduction emblem, right.

The original Apollo emblem as received, left. I had never before seen a badge made as this one was, even for a low

production automobile. It was a surface polished, 0.040” thick, photo-etched brass sheet, formed hemispherically, gold plated

and then painted in the recessed color cells. It had a screw post soldered to the back.

The owner of the car originally requested that the emblem be restored. I pointed out that repeated waxing of the car (and

emblem) had literally worn the paint away, and the brass had eroded and pitted. The step-relief lines had become softened

(or rounded), making repainting to a ‘hardedge’ borderline (like the original when new) impossible. Additionally, the brass

sheet used was too thin for this application as tightening the emblem to the car’s body resulted in ‘sinking the center down’

towards the surface of the hood beneath it. This emblem had just such a ‘cavity’ in the middle.

I convinced the owner that the original emblem could never look new again, and that he should retire it for posterity lest any

person in the future questioning the authenticity of my ‘unorthodox’ approach to reproducing these emblems. I also told him

that likely there were few people who would know how to make reproduction emblems exactly like this original; and fewer still

who would actually do it.

To amortize the cost of tooling, he contacted the Apollo owners club, and organized a group of owners who wanted

reproductions as well. F.Y.I: [Click Here] For more information about Production of One Part.

The reproduction Apollo emblem is on the right. It was made exactly like the original with two exceptions: It was made slightly

smaller in diameter to double as a horn button emblem (as per the club’s request), and I used epoxy enamel in the color cells,

as it would be thicker and more durable than the original’s paint. I also included a tube spacer so that these emblems could

not be over-tightened to the surface behind.

Epilogue: To my chagrin, a couple of years after I faithfully reproduced these badges exactly like the one I had been given, I

came to the knowledge that some of the Apollos had indeed, originally come with champlevé badges when new! Had I known

this, I’d have suggested this client consider having me reproduce one of these 'original champlevé badges' instead of this

questionable, prototypical-type of badge. F.Y.I: To find out what a champlevé badge is,

[Click Here] to read Champlevé vs. Cloisonné.

Cadillac V12 Horn Buttons

1933 CADILLAC V12 HORN BUTTONS: As received, the two original buttons before restoration.

My client wanted his two 1933 Cadillac V12 horn buttons restored. These buttons needed the gunk and paint removed by

degreasing and electro-stripping. Had all gone normally, I'd have had the buttons returned to me at this stage for a

methodical polishing prior to replating, then I'd have painted them. However, instead of only electro-stripping the buttons, the

plating company (under new ownership) disregarded my instruction, and irrevocably damaged both buttons (see next

image). I now had to reproduce my client's original horn buttons. Incidentally, this job should have gone without a hitch like a

1936 Buick 8 horn button (the third image after this one) that I restored two decades ago.

Reproducing V12 Buttons

1933 CADILLAC V12 HORN BUTTONS: One of two irrevocably sanded, over-polished and chromed original horn buttons,

bottom center; and four different stages of reproducing the V12 horn buttons using 'the seat of my pants' engineering.

Some of the early stages of reproducing the 1933 Cadillac horn buttons (from the damaged, chromed original, clockwise):

Photo-etching the original design in brass, doming it, cutting and bending registration tabs, bottom left; holding the bezel

centered in relationship to the obverse's design, upper left; the bezel soldered into place, upper right; and the roughly-cut

button starting to assume a resemblance to an original, bottom right. See the finished reproduction button in the next image.

1936 Buick 8 Horn Button

1936 BUICK 8 HORN BUTTON: In the weathered plastic bezel before my restoration,

left; and in the polished plastic bezel after I plated and painted the button, right.

Shown in its weathered plastic dome bezel, this is the 1936 Buick 8 horn button as received, left.

I had the button electro-stripped and returned to me so that I could methodically polish the relief portions while retaining the

burred hardedge step-relief that is required for repainting. I returned it to the plater to get it chromed, and I repainted the

recessed areas black, right.

Except for the logo, this is how my restoration of two 1933 Cadillac V12 horn buttons (the three previous images) should have

occurred. But unfortunately, the Cadillac buttons were irrevocably damaged, so I had to reproduce those two from scratch.

Imperial Airflow Hood Ornament

CV IMPERIAL AIRFLOW 1/9th SCALE MODEL: Reproducing the right 1/2 of an original hood ornament.

A gentleman has a hand-made, one-ninth scale, forensic model of a 1934 Chrysler CV Imperial Airflow automobile that was

constructed in the design studio at the Chrysler Corp. in 1934. The model (including the undercarriage) is exquisitely detailed

with the entire model cut longitudinally down the centerline, including the middle of the hood ornament. The right half of the

2¼” long hood ornament was missing, and the client wanted me to produce a new mirror image right side made to match the

original left side.

All four of these pictures show my reproduction right half mounted next to the original left half. The upper pictures show my

unplated (but otherwise finished) brass half ornament next to the (worn nickel-plated) original half. The lower pictures show

both halves mounted after they were both nickel-plated and put in place for the final time.

1934 CV Imperial Airflow Model

1934 CHRYSLER CV IMPERIAL AIRFLOW ONE-NINTH SCALE FORENSIC MODEL: As seen in the interview with Jay Leno

on 2/19/14.

This model, constructed and built by the in-house artists in the Chrysler Design Studio is likely to have been used for several

purposes within its lifetime based on some unexplained tale-tell evidence. But its last use is well documented: According to

Vincent Curcio in his book: Chrysler: The Life and Times of an Automotive Genius, it was used as forensic evidence in the

highly publicized patent infringement lawsuit against Chrysler in May 1935 by plaintiff Jaray Streamline Corporation of America

(Zurich, Switzerland) claiming that they were first with the streamline design. Chrysler spent $25,000 defending itself in court

through the use of elaborate charts and models (this model was one of the exhibits). The court ultimately ruled in favor of

Jaray and Chrysler paid the plaintiff.

Having a reputation for being “hands-on,” it is likely (though conjecture) that Walter P. Chrysler was in proximity to this model

during the court proceedings.

Clarence T. Fishleigh, Chrysler’s attorney retained possession of the model after the proceedings, which through a well-

documented succession of owners, has ended up in the hands of my client.

My client had me reproduce the long missing right half of the hand-made hood ornament (see the description in the preceding

image). Additionally, my client had me do a substantial amount of conservation work to this model that I shall address on a

separate page in this website (currently under construction).

Alfa with Worn-out Pedals?

TWO ALFA ROMEOS: Displayed with worn pedals left, and 2 cars away, one with ‘new’ pedals, right.

Am I the only one who sees the discrepancy in an automobile that is otherwise restored to ‘like new’ condition or better, but

then is exhibited with worn-out metal pedals? This is the type of work I do. Take your worn-out foot pedals and keep them for

posterity. Replace them with new pedals that coincide with the flawless appearance of the rest of your automobile.

Buick 8 Damage & Repair

1936 BUICK 8 CHAMPLEVE EMBLEM: The enamel was broken out below the 'c,' and the color cell's outline was obliterated

by polishing, left; my recarved and retextured color cell after restoration, right.

This emblem had a poor-quality repair sometime in its history, left. Apparently there had been some damage at the top of the

8 that broke out the red enamel. Then, to ‘repair’ the damage, a plating company polished away all evidence of the original

color cell’s border and the textured surface that was once beneath the enamel (see the whole badge before repair in the

previous image). Then the emblem was simply plated as if that small detail never existed. Normally there would be no plating

under a vitreous enamel color; it would just be the exposed copper.

F.Y.I: [Click Here] For more information about Plating Champlevé Badges.

I had the chrome stripped away. Unfortunately, the metal was so thin behind where all the detail had been removed, that I

had to thicken that area from behind with bronze and silver solder before I could carve a new recessed color cell edge into the

surface, and retexture the color cell’s background. I recolored the cell after plating with translucent red epoxy enamel because

it could not be heated to the temperature necessary to melt vitreous enamel without melting my soldered repair.

Scarab Repro Badges

SCARAB BADGE: Dick Troutman saw to it that my reproduction emblems got on all existing Scarab automobiles.

In 1989, Dick Troutman was restoring a few of Lance Reventlow’s Scarabs simultaneously in his shop (Troutman was one of

the original constructors who built the Scarabs in the mid-1950s). At that time, there was only one Scarab (out of eight built)

known to still have the only original Vilem B. Haan champlevé badge (see the previous image) while all the other badges had

been lost. I restored the original badge after obtaining a mold and reproducing enough badges so that Troutman could offer

reproductions to all the other Scarab owners. F.Y.I: [Click Here] For more information about Production of One Part.

R&T Horn Button

R&T’s HONDA CRX SPYDER: The photo prop R&T horn button I made for the photo shoot.

When Road & Track Magazine first conceived the idea of Honda’s (then) new CRX being turned into a spyder, they asked R.

Straman Co. to modify a CRX for a feature article. The (eventual) Design Director, Richard M. Baron had me make the R&T

logo emblem for the horn button. Incidentally, he also had me make the Honda logo hubcaps for the aftermarket wheels. See

both on the accompanying page from the article (next image).

Headlight Bezels & Lenses

ABARTH FIAT HEADLIGHT PODS: A profile shot of both pods with my new bezels and cut-to-fit lenses mounted on the car.

Because the Fiat had a hand-wrought body, the headlight buckets were different sizes: The left was three-eighths inch longer

vertically, and a quarter-inch narrower than the right’s. After making the new bezels (see the previous image) the second step

was to fit the two identically formed lenses so that when mounted, both sides would appear identical.

R-R Carb Spray Chamber

ROLLS-ROYCE CARBURETOR SPRAY CHAMBER: I cast this piece for Buess’ 1914 Silver Ghost Rolls-Royce Labourdette

Skiff seen here at the Newport Beach Concours d’Elegance.

The carburetor spray chamber (the large bronze casting in the middle of this picture) is a prominently visible component on

the engine of this car when the hood is open, and thus is a piece that absolutely must pass muster for originality when seen by

judges in competition.

This was the first reproduction casting I made of this part and from which I learned that the shrinkage factor was slightly more

than anticipated which made this part difficult to machine to the necessary specs.

F.Y.I: [Click Here] For more information about Casting Associated Shrinkage.

See my solution for the shrinkage in the next two images.

Carburetor Spray Chamber

ROLLS-ROYCE CARBURETOR SPRAY CHAMBER: The original casting, left; and my enlarged wax model, right.

See both the prior and next images on this spray chamber.

This carburetor spray chamber was a complex part to reproduce in three regards:

First, the original bronze casting (left) is minimally sized so that the typical shrinkage in casting a reproduction results in a part

that is arguably too small to machine. Having acquired this knowledge, I made an over-sized wax model (right) to make a new

mold so that the reproductions made from it would shrink back to no less than the original.

F.Y.I: [Click Here] For more information about Casting Associated Shrinkage.

Secondly, this part has two enclosed chambers that have specifically formed internal walls that, if not reproduced like the

original, can affect the engine's performance. So the inside of this over-sized wax model is formed like the original.

Thirdly, there are two hand-stamped part numbers, one of which is seen in the black circle on the original part. This number

was almost obliterated by the factory when this piece was polished a century ago. Polishing a repro part derived from this

original would likely cause this number to disappear. I carved more depth into the digits (in the triangle) so that when the

reproduction is polished, the part number will appear as prominently as it did on the original after the factory polished it.

Nardi Horn Button

NARDI CUSTOM HORN BUTTON: My polished aluminum R&T logo design that replaced the plastic Nardi horn buttons on

early R&T trophies.

This was the first custom lathe-turned and polished aluminum horn button I made for the Nardi steering wheel that was then

used on early wood-mounted versions of R&T’s trophies that went to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The inset logo

portion is sterling silver.

Worn-out Coach Plates?

FRANKLIN COACH PLATE: ‘Flawless’ cars displayed with worn-out coach plates?

Am I the only one who sees the discrepancy in an automobile that is otherwise restored to ‘like new’ condition or better, but

then is exhibited with a worn-out coach plate? This is the type of work I do. Take your worn-out plate (that proves the origin

of your automobile) and put it in your safe deposit box. Replace it with a new coach plate that coincides with the flawless

appearance of the rest of your automobile.

R&T's Trophy Horn Button

R&T HORN BUTTON: The new design I made for some of R&T’s trophies with the then new Bluemels Brooklands steering

wheels.

This was the second horn button design I made for the Bluemels Brooklands steering wheels (using this newly designed but

short-lived R&T logo) used on ‘The Car We Would Most Like to Drive/Race’ trophies in 2004. It is a polished, etched and

painted brass plate with a concentrically chamfered and polished edge.

Supra's First TRD Emblem

TRD EMBLEM: I made the first TRD emblems for the 1989 TRD-spec Toyota Supras' photography.

When Toyota Racing Development (TRD) presented its high performance TRD Supras to the automotive press for road

testing in 1989, there was nothing to identify these cars as anything other than stock Toyota Supras.

I made the first few hand painted photo prop TRD grill emblems as can barely be seen in the next image from an article in

Import Automotive Parts & Accessories ('IAPA') Magazine. I made it with a back bracket specifically made to hold it to the

Supra’s grill.

Labourdette Coach Plates

HENRI LABOURDETTE CARROSSIER PLATE: My reproduction, top; my repaired and enlarged master, middle; and my

‘Henri’ to ‘Buess’ alteration, bottom.

Nobody knows the whereabouts of any of the five or six Rolls-Royce chassis that once bore an original Labourdette-built

coach.

One of my customers is Fred Buess of Buess Restorations. He had a common Rolls-Royce chassis with no special

provenance on which he thought he’d produce a replica 1914 Labourdette Skiff body.

One part he needed was a Henri Labourdette Carrossier plate. He located a plate on an old Panhard. He obtained a wax

model that had two breaks and was missing a small triangular piece.

I knew that in fusing wax pieces together, the crack lines would clearly show on the textured background of a cast

reproduction, and any attempt at ‘removing’ the cracks would be clearly evident. The solution was for me to develop a carving

tool and practice the technique of using that tool until I could ‘counterfeit’ the texture of the entire recessed background

consistently.

Since I would be doing extensive wax work on this only model, I decided to thicken it, and broaden the border lines, so that the

reproduction castings taken from this (middle) casting would conceivably ‘shrink back’ to approximately the original thickness

and size of an original plate. F.Y.I: [Click Here] For more information about Casting Associated Shrinkage.

Meanwhile, Fred conjured an amusingly entertaining idea: Since the judges at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance would

have the foreknowledge that no such ‘Labourdette-bodied’ Rolls-Royce chassis exists, Fred thought of having me produce a

‘Buess’ Labourdette coach plate (bottom), using the same typography, and replacing the name ‘Henri’ on the original plate.

This would be a subtle method of stating that this Labourdette body was not on a genuine Labourdette chassis. The judges

apparently approved because the car won best in class.

That same year, Nethercutt’s restoration team was restoring a 1913 Labourdette-bodied Mercedes for Pebble Beach, but they

too, had no coach plate. They obtained one from Fred (top), and painted the background texture of their carrossier plate

black. Nethercutt’s car also won best in class that year.

Porsche 2.9 Emblem

PORSCHE ‘2.9’ LITER BADGE: I designed the 2.9 liter badge with Porsche's typography to replace Porsche's factory 2.4 and

2.7 liter rear deck badges.

Porsche aficionados will recognize this emblem and typography (but not the number ‘2.9’) as that from the rear deck of early

911 Porsches. Originally these Porsches had 2.4 and 2.7 liter engines with the respective numbered emblems. As these

older Porsches have aged, John Willhoit, of Willhoit Auto Restoration, tells me a lot of them have undergone engine rebuilds,

which commonly results in an increase of displacement to 2.9 liters. This particular client wanted a badge to reflect this

enlarged engine size, and wanted it to look like factory-made Porsche emblem.

R-R Repro Open-ends

ROLLS-ROYCE TOOLS: My raw steel reproduction castings of Silver Ghost-era open-end wrenches.

I was responsible for molding the majority of a set of open-end wrenches for an early Rolls-Royce, and correcting

discrepancies in the wax models (which included filling voids, and recarving each tool’s respective factory number that would

have disappeared in finishing the tools) and having them cast in steel. I presented these corrected raw castings to my client

who finished and painted them, and who presented the full set with his car at the Newport Beach Concours d’Elegance in

1996.

See the next image for more Rolls-Royce reproduction tools.

R-R Repro Box-spanners

ROLLS-ROYCE TOOLS: My raw steel reproduction castings of Silver Ghost-era box-spanner wrenches.

I was responsible for molding the majority of a set of box-spanner wrenches for an early Rolls-Royce, and correcting

discrepancies in the wax models (which included filling voids, and recarving each tool’s respective factory number that would

have disappeared in finishing the tools) and having them cast in steel. I presented these corrected raw castings to my client

who finished and painted them, and who presented the full set with his car at the Newport Beach Concours d’Elegance in

1996.

See the previous image for more Rolls-Royce reproduction tools.

Ornament's Repro Tails

1954 CADILLAC HOOD ORNAMENT: The mounted original tail, left; the original tail and its broken end-bracket, center; and

my plated bronze reproduction tail mounted, right.

Being that the parts are made of pot metal, and that the tail has a ‘hidden’ screw that needs removing before the entire hood

ornament can be removed from the hood, the vulnerable bracket on the tail that holds it to the rest of the ornament frequently

gets broken. A tail with a repaired bracket will likely break from vibration, let alone if another person tries to remove the

ornament in the wrong order.

This reproduction tail is cast in bronze, which will endure the punishment that the original cannot; and once plated, both the

body and tail will have the same appearance.

See the previous image for a profile view of my mounted reproduction tail.

Mark II Repro Parts

CONTINENTAL MKII LETTERING, POWER STEERING AND AIR CLEANER STAR NUT: All are my reproduction pieces.

I reproduced these ‘Continental’ letters and power steering/air cleaner nuts in bronze for a company in the 1980s and 1990s.

There is a shrinkage factor involved when molding small original parts, and a tight budget would not allow for mitigating the

problem. Eventually I remade these parts by enlarging them, and remolding them, so that the reproductions when finished,

would ‘shrink back’ to approximately the same size, thickness, and quality as the original parts.

F.Y.I: [Click Here] For more information about Casting Associated Shrinkage.

Worn-out Coach Plates?

SAOUTCHIK BADGE: ‘Flawless’ cars displayed with worn-out carrossier badges?

This unfocused photo actually improves the appearance of this extraordinarily worn-out badge.

Am I the only one who sees the discrepancy in an automobile that is otherwise restored to ‘like new’ condition or better, but

then is exhibited with a worn-out carrossier badge? This is the type of work I do. Take your worn-out badge (that helps

corroborate the origin of your automobile) and put it in your safe deposit box. Replace it with a new carrossier badge that

coincides with the flawless appearance of the rest of your automobile.