Our Mission:
Encourage preservation through recognition rather than restoration through rejection.
What this means is that by awarding SURVIVOR Certified status to owners, there is now a way for them to receive recognition and inspiration to keep these cars preserved. Until Bloomington Gold introduced Gold Certification in 1978 and created SURVIVOR for unrestored Corvettes in 1990, cars had always been judged in Concours d’Elegance competition based upon who could deliver the most cosmetically perfect automobiles. Historic accuracy was not a priority. In fact, an historically accurate or preserved car from the “factory” wouldn’t stand a chance because they were never cosmetically perfect. An original car would essentially be “rejected.” This rejection stimulated owners to do better next time by “improving” upon the original—or restoring it. Ironically, the restorations more often turned into customizations that took great license with historic accuracy and we began to lose the real DNA of these objects of “industrial art.”
Our Purpose:
1. Provide the collector car industry as well as general enthusiasts a chance to walk through a “Field of History” to see and understand the characteristic “look” of truly original cars versus the typical homogeneity of restorations. An equal experience is unavailable through books, magazines, or expert testimony.
2. Encourage the preservation or conservation of unrestored, factory original cars that may be “worn in, but not worn out” by recognizing their historic value.
3. Cause owners to think twice before “improving” cars that are historically preserved but may be less than cosmetically perfect.
4. Expand the “reference library” for restorers to conduct more historically accurate restorations among cars unable to be preserved or conserved.
5. Create an industry brand standard that reduces the potential for misrepresentation.