If I was at a car show, and there was a concours restoration sitting next to a race car, same color, model, and year, I'm going to look at the race car first.
I worked on the cars when they were new, and drove other peoples cars, so I know what the stock car is all about. I want to see what modifications were made over factory to further enhance the performance.
If the modified car happens to been raced on a course, other than a drag strip, (oval track, road course) I'm not even going to hesitate to go first to the modified car first.
At last years Norwalk event there was an as raced, 65 GTO oval track car sitting under a tent on the edge of the show field. I poured over that car looking at all the details under and all around it. I would never crawl on the ground to look at the bottom of a 65 GTO restoration, since I've seen the bottom of dozens of 65 GTO cars when they were fairly new, (I owned 3 of them) just from working on them, and owning them. I want to see the modifications they made to make it corner. What they used for a rear axle, front suspension modifications, etc. I already knew what it looked like before it was raced.
Just my take on it, YMMV.....
