At some point, someone is going to write about the inherent evil of building a tribute car. They will probably offer up pedantic points about authenticity and the ultimate truth belonging only to the original production run. I hope they think twice and read the article again. Most, if not all, of the touchstone racers, commissioned one-off's, and the cars Steve McQueen washed by hand are owned by serious collectors. Considering those facts, I think it is a compliment to the museum pieces for someone to invest themselves in a tribute car. The tribute edition must mean something deeper to the owner and if changing the aesthetics or running gear makes the owner happy, more power to them and the car! At the end of the day, it's your car. If the tribute issue causes an ethical dilemma, the next time you are behind the wheel, if you like, ponder whether your favorite band remains original when only one founding member is still on stage. If you go far enough and fast enough, I don't think it's going to matter.
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