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Factory and Period-Correct Accessories
We have been putting extra accessories and doodads on our cars since the first horseless carriages. The urge to personalize is undeniable—even if we’re building a factory-correct concours queen. The pecking order for accessories is typically factory made options that are correct for that year, then any factory accessories for that era, followed by period-correct accessories made by third parties.
Swap meets are a car guy's treasure hunt. Make a point to go to Pomona, Carlisle or any other swap meet as often as you can. A good example of this is accessory fog or driving lamps for the Porsche. From 1965 through 1973, the factory offered Hella 128 rectangular fog lights that mounted below the bumpers and round Hella 118 driving lights that mounted above the front bumper. Those two particular Hella models are popular with collectors, but there are also a variety of Bosch and Cibie lamps from the same era that look correct and are somewhat easier to find.
Porcelain grille badges are accessories from a by-gone era yet really have a universal appeal. Marque club badges as well as more traditional AAA emblems can be found at swap meets easily enough. You should realize that some of the more expensive vintage badges can be faked. The easiest way to spot a counterfeit is to look at the back—most forgers don’t get to the details like the correct texture and markings on the back of the badge. We especially like old sports car racing grille badges—they can even look good on modern cars as a throwback retro touch.
This vintage SCCA badge looks just as cool on a modern autocross car. Wheels
The biggest section of the SEMA show is the tire and wheel area. The aftermarket wheel is always a hot commodity on a new car and the same goes for the collector market. Factory optional and period-correct wheels for sports cars are great finds. Some of the big names from today, like BBS, American Racing and Carroll Shelby have been making wheels for decades.
Make sure you have them checked out by a wheel restorer, however, before you mount them on a car for use. Time and wear can take a toll on old wheels, just like any part of your dream car. If you find a wheel with issues—don’t toss it. Bent or cracked wheels can be mounted on the walls of your garage as art. More than a few cool magnesium wheels have found second lives as hose reels.
Vintage looking wheels (and their modern copies) are always popular swap meet fodder. So even if you don’t have the money to buy a collector car at this time, you can still go to the shows, swap meets and feel like a player by finding, fixing and selling accessories and hard-to-find options. You might even make enough money to buy the whole car in the process.
