When Did Patina Become So Mainstream?

What I don't get is the fascination of "barn find" condition.  Where the condition is more about really poor storage than being a represneation of what the car would be if used a lot.

And much of those "barn find" conditions are borderline abusive- rust, worn paint, scratches, mouse holes. etc.  That's not patina, that's just crappy storage.

When everyone has enough FU money to own anything in concours condition, you have to do something to stand out.  Patina is for billionaire hipsters in that context.  

I don't like owning a perfect car, because it's no fun to drive, and you can't park it at the grocery store.

I really hate patina cars that have been clear coated to preserve the patina.

I hate rust.

I like not rusty, kinda dull, gently dented cars that are mechanically perfect that I can park at the mall by the front door.

Menards.  Morris, Illinois. Yesterday.  This patina/rust is acceptable 
 

In the world of restoration, I totally get it in the case of cars like that Aston pictured above.  If that rolled into the shop I would beg them not to restore it.

I think every high end collector has realized they have spent 90% of their time and money undoing the damage of bad restorations. The appeal of an honest, well kept original car that simply needs repair work is huge. 

Now this stuff

That is just riding on the coattails of that popularity.  It is the lowest eschelon of the functional original, non restored market, but if you want in that game and can't afford a stunner like the Aston this is where you end up.

I honestly feel that the low quality, looks good from 20 feet, quick flip builds for circus like, televised auctions has brought the level of most "restored" cars so low that car enthusiasts will pay a premium for something that hasn't had that treatment.

It became popular when people stopped enjoying their cars because they couldn't afford perfect Riddler quality paint or grey tweed interior. I'd like to think CarCraft under Frieberger  (or Frieberger in general) popularized it afyer he turned it into JunkyardCraft in the late 90s. 

In my case 'patina' is when one can't afford a quality paint job.

When most women view my Outlaw Bug they ask, "what color are you going to paint it?"

When men view it they say, "Don't paint it. I love the look of the original 1963 paint."

I'm OK with honest patina. This is my dad's (and before that, my grandparents') T-Bird. It was parked in an open carport for decades with the rear end facing south. The original paint is battered, but there's no rust. The car is in great mechanical shape, and given what it would cost to repaint the car properly, I'm fine with the way it looks.

That said, I'm not into gaping rust holes or fake patina.

I think originally the appeal of patina had to do with making not being rich cooler in the car scene, but it was quickly coopted anyway by people who spent legit money trying to make faux patina. 

On this 71 Cuda my wife and i have been working on we did something silly that some people might call faux patina. She just wire wheeled the valve cover down to a very inconsistent bare semi-rusty metal finish and cleared over it. I threw the air cleaner in a fire which brought out a lot of weird visual stuff (galvanized maybe?) and i cleared over that. lol

I'll try to remember to take a pic and post it later.

I consider my Honda 90 to be patina, it's unrestored and there are various small bits not right but this is the way it's been for the last 45 years/ the pinstripes were added sometime in the 70s. I am also not a fan of clear coating rust . Note the 87 Novakar in the background is not patina it's scruffy.

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