Both terms "restored" and "original" are greatly over used generalizations and abused terms. My car had the body off and frame painted and re-upholstered in the early 90's but was still a basket case mechanically - therefore in purest sense of the word NOT restored. This is where a lot of people like to call cars restored that have had some interior and/or paint work done when really they are not restored. (AKA an amatuer "messtoration"
) Now that I have gone through all the mechanical components (except the engine itself) I still can't call it restored because the paint and interior is already showing age, not model A correct interior and my fenders are body color etc. So its not REALLY restored, not original, but otherwise stock. I guess its quasi altered/repaired?
There is also the "original" term. To us it means unrestored with maybe a few mechanical repairs but still sporting the same paint and interior that it left the factory with. To the average joe on the street when they ask "is it original" they usually mean does it have the stock running gear and not a SBC? Also Original can be polished, stiched, and detailed and repaired enough to the point where is it still original vs. one that literally hasn't hardly been touched in any way other than driven a few miles and parked in a barn or garage for the last 65 years?
Personally I don't get too worked up about the overuse or abuse of these terms and I consider my audience. If I'm telling some random person I have a 31 model A and they ask "is it all original?" I might say yes, or that its stock, or I might say my grandfather restored it in the early 90's because from 10-20 feet it looks pretty nice - its obviously had some work done, and the fruits of my labor aren't as outwardly visual to the casual observer but it drives, stops, and handles better than it has since at least the 50's. If I"m talking to my model A buddies, it was repainted, had an interior put in, etc. but I won't call it restored. I would also only view a couple cars that I know of as "original" because they still have the same paint and interior that they left the factory with "for the most part."
i.e. repainted hood, etc.