Here’s where I see the difference. If we look at R6915 today, we can see the way a Spitfire in the war looked – the chipped paint, the dents, the slightly battered appearance. And we can see exactly what the markings, stencils etc were like, how they were applied, to some extent when they were applied. We can see how the aircraft was progressively modified. We can see interesting repairs.
On the other hand, if we restore and repaint it, all of that goes away. It’s an interpretation of how it might have looked in the battle. I don’t know that photos of the aircraft exist that could be matched, but even if they do, there’s still an element of interpretation in there, and that’s simply not required with an original, unrestored artifact such as R6915.
Would it look ‘nicer’ if restored? Of course. But it devalues it as an artifact, as a time capsule. It ‘taints’ it with the 21st century interpretation.