In the classic car community today, there is a confusion of language of Babylonian proportions. While passion can be communicated in lyrical tones, facts demand precise wording. Expert opinions and appraisals typically toss around terms like condition, originality, or patina - whose meanings are considered depending on one's experiences and perspectives. Meaningful discussions, however, become more difficult when the same vocabulary gets lost in this broad panorama of free interpretations. Recently, the difficulties have been magnified because terms from the spectrum of art and cultural assets have found their way into the world of historic vehicles. These terms have been separated from their established definitions, although they are anchored as legally valid standards in international norms, agreements, laws, or treaties on the protection of cultural property. This new Heritage Dictionary incorporates these terms of art and cultural heritage, following their established international definitions, as well as reviewing and clarifying many commonly used automotive terms. Everyone who is interested in and passionate about historic vehicles can draw on this work for a more precise reference for differentiating and describing conditions and approaches. It adds precision and a common understanding to the growing discussion about historic vehicles as valuable and significant cultural assets.
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