[V8COOPMAN]

No doubt, Kubarth ("Kube") surely has restored an appreciable number of '39s and '40s over the last several years. I really don't understand how he is able to complete each in the seemingly-short time that he usually spends completing one. Of all the cars Mike has done over the years and has had judged, I've only managed to scrutinize two of his earlier restorations...the little blue coupe that shows in his avatar, and that now-infamous blue '40 Convert (with accompanying drink holder) that eventually ended-up selling out of the Dingman Collection for a reported $165K several years back. I remember Mike saying that that car judged ONLY 999 points, and that because of a 1-point deduction for two tiny pits in one of the rear axle housings. I honestly believe that the blue avatar coupe must surely be one of his favorites as Mike sold that coupe to someone in the northeast I believe, only to re-purchase it at a later date. I understand that he eventually sold it a second time, and have since heard that he would really like to have it back AGAIN. Almost kind of comical! But my whole point here is to express my thoughts about the extent of the detail and workmanship that Mike puts into these jewels by bringing attention to a couple of oft-overlooked and frequently forgotten areas for restoration. On the two "Kubarth" '40s that I'm familiar with above, you could look down past the roll-up windows in the doors and notice the result of what must have been some painstaking effort to make the insides and bottoms of those doors look just as pristine and finished as the paint on the fenders. Not only were the door innards a work of art, but the underside and rear of the instrument panel area along with the upper, inside of the dash (firewall) were finished every bit as nicely as any other part of the interior that shows in plain view. The guy seems to have this 1940 Ford restoration process about down to a science. I think that Mike really must be, by his own admission, one of those seriously-afflicted OCD types, as he seems to be the consummate artisan, always paying the utmost of attention to the minute details that make any "Kubarth Restoration" a significant work of note. DD