Hemi clone dart I painted for a buddy

[Kern Dog]

The standard today seems to be MUCH higher than it was 15 years ago. In the 80s, a shine was all that was important. Nowadays the paint has to be as smooth as glass or we are not happy with it.

[ws23rt]

The standard today seems to be MUCH higher than it was 15 years ago. In the 80s, a shine was all that was important. Nowadays the paint has to be as smooth as glass or we are not happy with it.

Very nice body and paint work have always been tops within the car hobby.  Collectors fuss with details about stuff like correctness/originality, performance, etc. But what the car looks like at a glance will draw nearly everyone.
A "correct" car with every detail under the skin --in a museum has a draw of fewer and fewer as we age and die off.
The shape/design of these old cars in nice finish is what brings them to the eyes of everyone of all ages.   

[Charger-Bodie]

The standard today seems to be MUCH higher than it was 15 years ago. In the 80s, a shine was all that was important. Nowadays the paint has to be as smooth as glass or we are not happy with it.

Actually that's not true at all. In the 80s most high end stuff was painted with lacquer and it buff to a very high gloss and depth. It just isn't durable like urethane and and would lose some shine after a while. Buff it again and viola, shiny once more.